PHOTO BY JOHN FRYMAN / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
THE NUMBERS … Pioneer Village Council members Joseph Nikloy (left) and Dean Frisbie (right) go over the financial report at the council meeting held on Monday, November 10.
By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
Pioneer Village Council adopted a new rate schedule for village waste pickup during its monthly meeting on Monday, November 10, at the Pioneer Community Center.
Following the Pledge of Allegiance and prayer given by Pastor Craig Bard of Pioneer Community Church, a roll call of council members followed, with Ben Fiser, Joseph Nickloy, Trever West, Bryan Gendron, Dean Frisbie, and Alan Fiser all in attendance.
Council approved the regular meeting minutes from October 13, along with the monthly financial report and the payment of bills for October.
Two of those bill payments went to Nickloy’s Fix & Fab of Pioneer for $716.96 for brake repairs on a village pickup truck. The other to Artesian of Pioneer for $8,706.67 for the purchase of two variable frequency drive control lower surface pumps for the water plant.
Both of those payments were approved by the council.
Council discussed an ordinance regarding the new rate schedule for waste pickup in the village. It will involve the pickup of solid and yard waste, bulk item collection, along with disposal and recycling.
It involves a change of rate schedule beginning with single-person and family households paying $15 per month, while senior citizens who are 65 years or older and living alone will be paying $12 per month once they sign up at the village office for the service.
“This is another topic we discussed in the finance committee meeting,” said village administrator Anthony Burnett. “With our current rates, we are basically losing money each month for our garbage service pickup because we haven’t adjusted the rates for many years.”
Mayor Ed Kidston updated the council on the solar fields project, which is already underway with a completion date set for June 2026. He pointed out that the village is currently under a tight deadline to finish it.
An ordinance to accept bids for racking and panel modules installation for the project was approved by a 6-0 vote. It authorized the village administrator to enter into agreements for the purchase of both American-made products.
In other action, the council approved the following ordinances after declaring an emergency.
-Appropriations for 2025.
-Permanent appropriations for the 2026 budget totaling $20,264,488.00, which includes $10,500,000 on a pace loan for the solar fields project. It’s an increase from $9,466,383 of the 2025 budget.
-Repealing existing sections of the codified village ordinances addressing fees for various village services. Among them are sanitary and water tap fees and cemetery fees involving the opening and closing of graves.
Council also passed a resolution adopting and establishing a policy permitting the use of employee dishonesty and faithful performance of duty coverage in lieu of a surety bond as authorized by Ohio Revised Code Section 3.061.
Approval was given for the transfer of funds from the street fund and water fund to the capital projects fund for the Cedar Street project.
The village will be using $100,000 out of the street fund, with the remaining balance from the water fund.
Council approved Bish, Butler, and Thompson of Bryan for village legal services for 2026.
Also, the council approved the 2026 holiday schedule for village employees. Kidston added they will be off from December 24-26 for the Christmas holidays this year.
Village Police Chief Tim Livengood reported the village currently has three full-time officers and has two cadets currently completing their academy training, with graduation set for next March.
Livengood told the council the department had received a very fine compliment from the Division of the FBI out of Norfolk, Virginia, involving a missing juvenile.
“Working with the Norfolk Police Department, they had a missing juvenile back months ago, and through networking with the FBI there, they had notified us and believed the young lady was here in our community,” said Livengood.
“We made a quick response and took care of what we needed to do here and get her back home. They were very ecstatic that we were able to do that here because there was a good possibility that she could have been on the path of being trafficked.
“They understood that we’re a small agency, and they know what kind of resources that we have here in Northwest Ohio. But we made it work, and it was very successful.”
Fire Chief Rodger Swank reported the fire department has applied for an Ohio Small County Volunteer Fire Department grant of $52,000 to be used for building upgrades at the fire department.
Burnett reported that it has been a strong year for zoning permits in the village. He noted the construction of another Williams County Port Authority home, a duplex on Mulberry Street, and a commercial building addition on Artesian Avenue.
He also updated on the recent demolition of the Sooz’s Restaurant building, noting the site has already been filled in with concrete, blocks replaced, and materials for exterior walls are on site.
A change order of $25,825 out of the economic development fund for a ten-year loan repaid by the general fund, contingent on the current owner signing off on the property. The loan made through the Land Bank will be repaid at $2,582.50 annually and was then approved by the council.
The administrator also reported that there was some damage done to the fiberglass slide on the village’s splash pad. He made a proposal of $20,000 from next year’s parks budget to have the slide covered under warranty.
Burnett informed the council regarding the upcoming Senior Citizens Christmas Party Luncheon to be held on Tuesday, December 9, at the Pioneer Community Center.
He made a motion for the village to donate not to exceed $1,000 towards the total cost, which was later approved.
Burnett (Pioneer Village) and Kidston (Artesian of Pioneer) were appointed to serve two-year terms with the Williams County Economic Development Corporation.
The council went into executive session at 8:11 p.m. to discuss setting wages for the 2026 year.
They returned back into regular season at 8:21 p.m., where they approved the wage schedule for next year. Council then adjourned at 8:27 p.m. The next regular council meeting is Monday, December 8, at 7:00 p.m.