By: Brenna White
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
The Williams County Commissioners met for their regular session on Thursday, May 7, 2026, to discuss Department of Aging updates.
Commission President Scott Lirot, Bart Westfall, and Terry Rummel were in attendance.
The Department of Aging Director Sarah Stubblefield brought several guests during her monthly update, including Montpelier Senior Center Site Manager Lisa Seiler. Brenda Bohner and Willie Peters, Montpelier Seniors, also joined the session.
Stubblefield reported that she has completed the five-year grant application for the Area Office of Aging. She also provided statistics and shared that the cost of a meal per senior citizen amounted to $16.48.
This figure includes the average between the congregate, or meals served within the senior center, and the delivered meals. Currently, the Williams County Department of Aging serves their meals as a free-will donation, with a recommended donation of $4.
After already depleting their funding for nutrition in March, the Department is now reliant on levy funding and donations to help cover food costs.
The Department of Aging currently has four levies to source its funding. Its largest was originally passed in 2005, and the total amount collected has not been increased.
Several regulars at the Montpelier Senior Center shared remarks on how the center has positively affected their lives. “We really love the center. Like I said, it’s part of us – I don’t know what we would do without it,” Bohner said.
Peters shared that many seniors use the centers for socialization and community. “When you get to this age bracket, (it’s) mainly a place for people to do something when they just don’t have anything to do.”
Commissioner Rummel explained that the Department of Aging is currently running at a loss to fund their senior centers and other services they offer throughout the county. Labor and food costs remain the biggest expenses.
In 2025, the Department of Aging lost $360,000 and was reliant on their carryover cash balance. They are running at a projected yearly loss of $140,000.
“We have a big cash reserve thanks to the years of conservativeness, but we are now over-spending and we have to do something major,” Rummel stated.
“If we’re losing $140,000 a year but we have a reserve, it doesn’t take long to be out of money – and then we’re out of business. That’s what we’re trying to avoid,” added Westfall.
The Commissioners discussed attending local community centers to help dispel rumors of center closure. “We absolutely do not want to do that,” explained Rummel. “We could be forced to do that at some point if we run out of money. There is absolutely no want to close anything down.”
A potential updated levy for November 2026 was recommended previously by Stubblefield to address the financial struggles. No formal proposal has been made and the levy is still in its preliminary stages. An increased amount of funds from an updated levy would likely address many of the funding issues within the Department of Aging.
In additional business, Commissioners accepted and awarded the bid for the Maumee Valley Planning Organization (MVPO) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Montpelier Waterline Replacement Project. The bid was awarded to Bryan Excavating at $1,491,895.
Commissioners additionally approved a courthouse permit for the weekly Bryan Cruise-In events scheduled to take place around the square in Bryan. The event will first start on May 21, 2026. The meeting adjourned
at 10:22 a.m.