PHOTO BY JESSE DAVIS / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
STEP ONE COMPLETE … Swanton Police Department Chief John Trejo reported during the most recent Swanton Village Council meeting that interior demolition at the Swanton Police Department, seen here, in the wake of a recent fire, has been completed.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
Residents and other interested parties packed Ritter Hall for a marathon Swanton Village Council meeting Monday night after a man being cited for feeding stray cats resulted in an explosion of online comments decrying the fine and village leadership.
Prior to discussing the topic – which was added to the agenda due to the online outcry – Mayor Neil Toeppe gave a statement from the perspective of the village. He started by pointing out the ordinance was passed more than 10 years ago.
“None of the members on this current council were in office when this ordinance was adopted.
“However, we are responsible today for enforcing the laws that are on the books. At the same time, it is clear that this ordinance deserves a careful review to determine whether it still reflects the needs and values of our community,” Toeppe said.
He said he spoke for the administration and the council when he said they wanted all animals, “including feral cats,” to be treated humanely, but added that it was a complicated issue.
“Many people in our community see feral cats and want to make sure that they receive food and water.
“That response reflects compassion and care and it comes from a good place. At the same time, we have residents who are experiencing significant impacts to their quality of life,” he said.
Comments from residents were largely in favor of eliminating the village’s regulation on feeding the cats, while some shared the personal difficulties they faced due to the animals’ activities.
Several individuals representing related organizations including the Shining Star Cat Rescue in Edgerton, the Compassionate Care Sanctuary in Delta, and the Fulton County Humane Society addressed the council on the issue, sharing context and recommendations.
They all pointed the council toward trap, neuter and release (or “TNR”) programs, and recommended residents set up outdoor feeding and litter areas for the cats, all of which they said would help address the population and excrement issues.
Residents shared a variety of positions including support for the animals – pointing out the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that all dogs and cats, whether owned or stray, are protected under state animal cruelty laws, and that the correct term for them is “companion animals.” They suggested that Swanton’s ordinance could be illegal under the ruling.
Others shared their negative experiences with the animals, in particular the amount of feces and urine on their properties, outdoor furniture, and vehicles, the last of which they were unable to sufficiently clean – even with detailing services – to eliminate the smell and potential health issues.
Toeppe recommended the council form a committee to further explore the issue, to be headed by Council President Deacon Dzierzawski joined by Councilwoman Dianne Westhoven.
More specifically, he recommended they look into TNR programs, shelter partnerships, and rehoming as options while also researching funding to support whichever option or options are pursued.
In addition to the crowd in attendance, the Facebook livestream of the meeting drew more than 100 concurrent viewers, peaking during the cat discussion.
COUNCIL RULES
Other attendees came because of proposed changes to the council’s rules to bring back the finance, public safety, water and sewer, and public service committees, which would each only include two to three council members.
Julia Benfield, the owner of Benfield Wines, commented in person after having submitted a comment to be read during the previous meeting.
She started by laying out her involvement in the community as well as the time and money she has spent improving their Main Street building.
“The proposal and new rules for council gives many of us a cause for concern on the topics of committees,” Benfield said.
“Who will adequately represent our interests? I’ve heard twice now that one council member feels that business owners … [who] don’t live in the village should not have a voice, from two separate instances.
“So what if that member sits on a committee for something that concerns my business? How do I trust that they will represent the information in an unbiased way to the full council for voting?”
Struggling through emotion, Benfield said that, while she and her husband do not live in the village, they “spend more hours physically on Main Street than a lot of the people in this room.”
Former council member Samantha Disbrow also addressed the council, stating that the committees were eliminated during her term to increase transparency.
She said when standing committees are used, most of the real discussions on issues happens where residents and other council members don’t get to hear them.
While not directly naming him, Disbrow shared her concerns with the actions of Dzierzawski.
She said one council member was “acting as the voice of four” while appearing to push others out and steamrolling the mayor and other council members, a clear reference to his being named council president and his leadership of a majority group consisting of himself, David and Patricia Pilliod, and Westhoven, who have voted together in opposition to positions taken jointly by Councilmen John Schmidt and Noah Kreuz several times this year.
“It undermines the entire council. It’s not only obnoxious, it’s unprofessional and counterproductive. That isn’t how a strong village should function and it certainly isn’t leadership,” she said.
While considering a final vote on the rules changes, Westhoven read a long statement addressing what she said was “a significant misunderstanding” regarding committees.
“She called them a group of legislators, chosen by a legislative body, to consider legislative matters.
Westhoven stressed their function as “fact finders” with no authority to act beyond making recommendations.
She proposed their meetings be livestreamed, include three council members, and that they meet on the first and third Mondays of each month for a minimum of one hour rather than in 15-minute meetings immediately prior to council meetings.
She pointed out that Delta, Wauseon, Archbold, Sylvania, Genoa, and Montpelier all use committees, and said if they were reinstated and found to provide no benefit, the issue could be revisited.
Prior to the meeting, Kreuz posted a lengthy statement on social media outlining his opposition to the changes and encouraging residents to attend.
Among his arguments were that they divide the council and limit information getting to the full council, that department heads are not required to attend, and that committee meetings don’t require official minutes.
“Without minutes, residents and other council members may have no permanent record of discussions that shaped decisions before they reach full council,” he wrote.
Kreuz recommended instead that the council either add a quarterly meeting of the committee of the whole – which would include the full council and require the attendance of department heads to provide reports and answer questions – or require department heads to attend all council meetings to deliver in person the reports currently read to council members by Village Administrator Shannon Shulters.
Councilman Schmidt and former council member Patrick Messenger – who was narrowly defeated by Dzierzawski in November – replied to the post, sharing their support.
“The idea of reverting back to the old way of doing things would be a mistake,” Messenger wrote. “The ‘it worked 50 years ago’ ideology is not forward moving.”
At the meeting, Schmidt made a further statement, taking direct aim at comments previously made by Patricia – who said council members don’t have enough time to prepare when packets arrive three days before Monday meetings – and David, who said the practice had always worked fine in the past.
Schmidt also called it an attempt to “bolster egos.” He received applause from attendees after his comments.
Councilman David Pilliod looked to history to make his argument that democracy is divisive by nature and that it is “not a bad thing,” but “inherent in the system.”
He cautioned against the dangers of consensus, referring to the consensus of the 1960s regarding the buildup in Vietnam.
He said it was wrong to assume things are better in 2026 than in 1958. “Maybe they are, maybe they aren’t,” he said.
David encouraged council members to “just pass this thing, as-is,” and made a motion to do so but received no second. Kreuz pointed out residents’ concerns before it was moved to table the vote. David cast the sole dissenting vote.
Patricia voiced her support of additional conversation. “I think there’s a way that we can compromise and bring us all back together on this subject,” she said.
Of the members of the public who addressed the council on the subject during the meeting, all were opposed to reinstating the committees.
SEASONAL/INOPERABLE VEHICLE STORAGE
Council members voted to pass on first reading a pair of ordinances recommended by the Swanton Planning Commission relating to the storage of seasonal vehicles and inoperable vehicles.
The seasonal vehicle ordinance change was born out of resident complaints regarding boats on Maple Street.
Schmidt said the idea was to bring a standard for storage of such vehicles along with RVs and related vehicles regarding how long they could be stored in driveways. The new ordinance gives a limit of 90 days outside of the season.
Kreuz recommended a portion of the ordinance barring RVs from being plugged in or hooked up to water while in a driveway be reworded to allow for those actions to take place on a temporary basis if, for example, the owner was away from home for the weekend.
It was explained that the idea behind that wording was to deter people from living in RVs parked in a driveway.
Storage of seasonal vehicles in side yards or backyards is fully allowed.
The inoperable vehicles ordinance, which also applies to unlicensed or junk vehicles, would limit the storage of such vehicles for more than 15 days unless it is “stored in a completely enclosed, authorized and permitted building or garage,” with a possible penalty of a fourth-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a fine of $250 per day that such a violation continues.
OTHER BUSINESS
Council members voted to pass on second reading the village’s final budget for 2026.
Council members voted to pass on an emergency basis an ordinance awarding a project making improvements to Crestwood Drive to Ebony Construction Company in the amount of $587,759.
Council members voted to pass on an emergency basis a resolution adopting the Fulton County All Hazards Mitigation Plan.
The plan, which is adopted every five years, was supposed to be passed in January but was forgotten due to the fire at the village offices.
Council members passed on first reading a resolution approving the Community Reinvestment Area housing survey, refining the boundaries of the area and reducing it from its previous borders, which included the entire village.
Stephanie Fessenden addressed the council to thank the village for their support of the Backpack Buddies program and recent fundraising event.
She also stated the Swanton American Legion Murbach-Siefert Post No. 479 would be presenting a check to the program during a special ceremony the next day.
At the end of regular business, council members voted to go into executive session to discuss public employee matters, pending or potential legal matters, and economic development opportunities. No action was taken as a result of the session.
The next regular meeting of the Swanton Village Council will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 23, at Ritter Hall, 124 N. Main Street.
Update: Swanton Mayor Neil Toeppe later issued an executive order suspending enforcement of the cat feeding ban, giving a committee time to craft a humane solution.