PHOTO BY BRENNA WHITE / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
NEW VENUE … The Williams County Commissioners hosted their monthly “Coffee with Commissioners” meeting at the Edgerton Performing Arts Center with local high school students.
By: Brenna White
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
The Williams County Commissioners met for their monthly “Coffee with Commissioners” meeting on November 18, 2025, at the Edgerton Performing Arts Annex.
Their session was opened to high schoolers to get a first-hand look at how small government operates within the county.
Many questions were asked, including what it takes to run for an elected position, how they juggle finances across different departments, and questions about the general fund.
The session opened at 9:00 a.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, a full attendance roll call, and the approval of the previous session’s meeting minutes. The agenda was additionally approved with no corrections.
After the payment of bills, commissioners commented on their ongoing goal to reduce credit card fees for late payments made throughout the departments.
“We’ve been really policing late fees – nobody wants to pay late fees. We don’t want your tax dollars going to late fees,” stated Rummel.
“When money comes back to us, we don’t really look into it hard, but when somebody has a late fee? Now we are saying, ‘Why are we paying this late?’ Typically, in government, it’s hard to get things moving that quickly,” explained Lirot.
New business began with the passage of transfer resolutions on behalf of the Airport Auditor, Commissioner’s Office, Engineer’s Office, Hillside Country Living, Prosecutor’s Office, Sheriff’s Office, and the Title Department.
“This is where we move money around in different line items,” said Rummel. “They run short – it’s the end of the year, and a lot of times you can’t predict how much money you’ll need in a line. So they are just moving some money around from point A to point B to pay the bills.”
A resolution furthering the timeline of a pre-approved JFS contract was passed. The Adriel Foster Care’s original contract was for April 10, 2024, to September 30, 2024, at a cost of $20,000 per year.
An extension was approved previously for October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025. This agreement files a final extension of October 1, 2025, to October 30, 2026, at a cost not to exceed $20,000.
A second resolution was approved regarding a merchant application agreement between the Common Pleas Court Juvenile Division and Bridge Payment.
This is for the purpose of online payments, e-filing, in-person, and over-the-phone credit card payments at no cost. The term is month-to-month.
A renewal lease agreement letter was sent to the Cancer Assistance of Williams County and the Department of Aging. With their current contract up in December 2025, the new five-year lease will include an annual 3% increase for the East Annex location.
“I’m fine with the Cancer Assistance (portion), but I am struggling with charging the Department of Aging $1,500 for space, when they are just another taxing authority in our area,” said Rummel. He asked for further information and to table the contract for another day.
The Ohio Consumer Council sent the commissioners a draft resolution and letter regarding the Aqua Ohio utility price hike.
A 45.7% increase was drafted for the consumers of Lake Seneca and Norlick Place. “I would be in favor of doing a resolution in opposition to this,” commented Rummel. The commissioners agreed and passed a motion to officially sign in the future.
“What’s going to be done? What’s the water plant out there? Do they need to be replaced? How much will it cost?” questioned Lirot.
Julie Oxender joined the meeting to discuss her duties as an insurance broker and how she works with county employees to provide supplemental insurance on an as-needed basis.
The commissioners opened up the rest of the meeting for discussion amongst the Edgerton High School students, who had questions about the daily life of a commissioner, schooling, and how different funds across departments work.
The Tuesday, November 18, 2025, meeting was adjourned at 10:15 a.m.