PHOTO BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
JOINT MEETING … Members of the Wauseon and Swanton councils gather inside the Wauseon Council Chambers for Monday evening’s special meeting.
By: Jacob Kessler
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jacob@thevillagereporter.com
The Wauseon City Council held its meeting on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. The meeting began at 5 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence, followed by council approving the minutes from the previous meeting as presented.
During committee reports, council approved a Safety and Code Committee recommendation to provide $2,000 from the nuisance fund to the Fulton County Humane Society for use in its TNVR program for cats in Wauseon.
Then, as part of the Utility Committee update, Councilor Jeremy Simon updated council on aging equipment at the city’s Water Treatment Plant.
Simon said the Utility Committee met July 29 to discuss water rates and pumps at the plant that will eventually need to be replaced.
American Pump Repair and Services was brought in to inspect the equipment and prepare recommendations before the city considers moving forward with replacements or a possible rate increase.
Mayor Kathy Huner noted that any increase would also affect customer pricing outside the city and possibly ongoing discussions with communities such as the Village of Lyons. No action was taken at that time.
During department reports, Fire Chief Phil Kessler said Assistant Chief Jeremy Shirkey is finalizing cost-recovery information with outside departments that assisted with the recent well fire. The department is also preparing a post-incident analysis.
Firefighters have been using the former Ohio Department of Transportation property to train with newly purchased airbags and struts.
Kessler explained that the new equipment allows firefighters to place the airbags and supports before stepping away as they inflate, providing a significant safety improvement over older equipment that required personnel to remain closer.
The department also participated in Safety Day at Walmart with the Wauseon Police Department and was scheduled to assist Archbold with activities surrounding the 150th anniversary of its fire department.
Police Chief Kevin Chittenden reported that officers had a busy weekend with traffic stops and calls. He said Safety Day was moved indoors due to the weather but it all worked out well.
Chittenden added that no crashes, injuries or other problems had been reported along South Shoop Avenue following the speed-limit change. A new school zone was expected to take effect with the beginning of the school year.
Finance Director Jamie Giguere then reported the city’s month-end reports had been posted and that income-tax collections remained down approximately 12 percent.
Director of Public Service Austin Abbott reported the final day for the city pool will be Aug. 22. The recent Party in the Park was canceled because of the weather, with no plans currently in place to reschedule the event because of the band’s other commitments.
QR-code placards are also being placed throughout city parks, allowing residents to submit maintenance requests and suggestions directly to the city.
Abbott explained that residents may provide contact information if they would like a response, but submissions can be made anonymously.
Public Works was scheduled to interview applicants for two open positions and recently addressed pavement issues along Douglas, Lawrence and Chestnut streets.
Law Director Tom McWatters reported that documentation for the proposed charter amendment and pool levy had been submitted to the Fulton County Board of Elections. The city also submitted the general plan for the GAC project.
Council then moved to approve Resolution 2026-25 as an emergency, authorizing the mayor or her designee to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Ohio Department of Medicaid.
Under new business, council reviewed proposed policies governing city social-media accounts and the livestreaming of city-related meetings.
Councilor Heather Galbraith questioned language stating that certain comments, including hate speech, cannot be removed from city social-media pages.
McWatters said the policy was reviewed to ensure it was consistent with the First Amendment.
He explained that content cannot be removed solely because it is hateful or offensive, although it may qualify for removal if it falls within another category included in the policy, such as a threat.
Council also discussed whether a notice informing visitors that meetings are being livestreamed must be read aloud before each meeting or could instead be posted at the entrance.
The city will read the notice until the Law Department determines whether posting it would be sufficient. The social-media and livestreaming policies were approved, followed by approval of the bills. The regular meeting was then adjourned at 5:26 p.m.
A separate special meeting involving Wauseon City Council and the Village of Swanton was called to order at 5:46 p.m. Both municipalities conducted their own roll calls and approved separate motions to enter executive session to discuss pending or imminent court action.
Council President Shane Chamberlin and Councilor Simon were excused and left the meeting at 5:47 p.m.
The councils returned from executive session at 7:41 p.m. No action was taken afterward, and the special meeting was adjourned.