By: Brenna White
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
brenna@thevillagereporter.com
The Williams County Commissioners tackled a full agenda during their regular meeting on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. Two county tax levies were advanced to the November 3, 2026, election, along with the approval of multiple engineering projects coming to Williams County.
Commissioner President Scott Lirot, Bart Westfall, and Terry Rummel were in attendance.
Levies Move to November Ballot
Two property tax levies were moved forward for voter approval on the November 3, 2026, election after receiving certification from the Williams County Auditor.
The first resolution concerns the Williams County Department of Aging senior services levy. An updated resolution to submit a 1.0-mill, five-year term operating levy was approved. This levy would fund senior center services while also maintaining home-delivered meals and senior centers.
Although the proposal calls for a new 1.0-mill levy, Commissioners have explained that two existing Department of Aging levies totaling 0.6 mills would discontinue if approved. As a result, the department would consolidate from four active levies to three, making the total net increase 0.4 mills.
If approved in November, the levy would first be collected in 2027. County estimates state the levy would generate approximately $1.18 million annually.
Commissioners also approved an updated resolution for the Ohio State University Extension levy. Unlike the Department of Aging’s proposal, the OSU Extension levy is a renewal of the county’s previously approved 0.4-mill, five-year operating levy. This levy would continue to support educational programming related to agriculture, natural resources, and 4-H.The levy is estimated to generate approximately $311,924 annually, with collections beginning in 2028.
Engineering Projects Approved
In other business, engineering matters made up much of the rest of the agenda. Commissioners authorized advertising for sealed bids on the CR 15 improvement project extending from U.S. 6 to South Street. Bids will be accepted until 10 a.m. on August 20, 2026.
A project grant agreement with the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) for the same CR 15 project was approved. Under the agreement, the OPWC will provide approximately 45.9 percent of the total project cost.
Commissioners also awarded the contract for the Maumee Valley Planning Organization (MVPO)’s project for wastewater collection improvements for the City of Bryan. Two bids were received, with S&S Directional Boring submitting the lowest bid of $839,250.
The bid came in well below the engineer’s estimate of $977,450 and was accepted upon recommendation from both MVPO and the City of Bryan.
Joint Ditch Maintenance Approved
A joint teleconference with Fulton County Commissioners was held for a ditch maintenance meeting. Both Boards of Commissioners approved the 2027 maintenance assessments for the ditches and they will be applied on their 2027 tax duplicate.
For Joint Ditch No. 448 (Owl Creek), $27,000 will be collected from Fulton County. “Part of that will be due to spraying Owl Creek next year… and we also have a significant amount of work to do down at the very lower end [of the ditch],” stated Williams County Drainage Engineer Brian Fritsch.
“We have some log jams and some cleaning that needs to be done at that very lower end. We plan on doing it over the winter, and that’s why the collection is up this year.”
For Joint Ditch No. 445 (Wilson), $1,463 will be collected from Fulton County. “Primarily, that is to cover the spraying activities on the Wilson Ditch,” added Fritsch.
Fritsch then moved forward to give his 2026 Permanent Maintenance Collection report to the Commissioners. As of June 30, 2026, the proposed permanent maintenance collection for fiscal year 2027 is $546,524.
The Commissioners and Fritsch reviewed several ditches that received the most maintenance, including Beaver Creek. “Beaver Creek is one of the largest watersheds, one of the longest systems that we have in the county,” explained Fritsch. “It gets work every year, whether that’s spraying, wash-outs, end tiles…”
Nettle Lake Assessment Relief Sought
Later, Williams County Engineer Todd Roth requested a meeting with the Commissioners regarding relief on assessment charges.
Roth explained that a new home is currently being built near Nettle Lake. The property owners reached out to Roth requesting relief on assessment charges to connect to the county’s sewer system.
Currently, assessment charges follow a rate first established in 1996. An escalation charge has been added each year in order to combat inflation.
As of 2026, the current assessment charge is $8,212.70. “They want to build, they want to connect to the sewer, and that is the fee to get you connected to the sewer,” stated Roth.
“What do we look at then – is there a tap put in when it was originally done? That’s what the assessment is doing: it’s their contribution to the cost of building the sewer system there,” explained Roth. He also said there is no current tap on the property and one will have to be built.
Commissioner Rummel made a motion to continue the current assessment charges as is. A formal resolution will follow in the next meeting. With no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:13 a.m.
