PHOTO BY BRENNA WHITE / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
WATER RATE INCREASE … Several residents of Norlick Place were in attendance at the Ohio Consumer Counsel (OCC) to hear their investigation of the Aqua Ohio 45.7% utility price increase.
By: Brenna White
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
A temporary rollback on property taxes was approved among the commissioners. The Williams County Commissioners met with the Ohio Consumers’ Council regarding potential skyrocketing price hikes with the water public utilities of Lake Seneca and Norlick Place, Bryan, as well. The Board met on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, at 9:00 a.m.
Commissioner President Terry Rummel, Scott Lirot, and Bart Westfall were in attendance. The previous meeting minutes were passed along with a minor adjustment to the agenda; Rummel requested a discussion on old business topics.
A resolution, which will be formally introduced at a later date, was approved, providing a one-year tax relief solution to Williams County property owners and residents.
In 2025, $2,879.343.82 was collected from property taxes in Williams County. This marks an increase of $648,906.63 from the previous year.
The commissioners recognized the recent huge uptick of property taxes in the last year, with 2025 reporting a 29% overall increase.
While property taxes are decided by the Ohio Department of Taxation, the general fund for Williams County does see a small portion of revenue.
“Now we can’t go back and give money back from 2025,” Rummel said. “But we can affect 2026 numbers. We are going to anticipate ‘26 numbers with a similar number with no growth for ‘27 and ‘28.”
Rummel proposed to drop the inside mills and reduce them by half a mill. Currently, 2.80 mills are collected, and the resolution would lower them to 2.30.
“As I see it, this is how Williams County could give back this small portion of the general fund,” he continued.
A total savings for Williams taxpayers would amount to $514,216.58. For every $100,000 appraised value, citizens would receive a break of $17.50.
“It’s not a huge dollar amount,” admits Rummel. “I’m not going to sit here and tell everyone we’re saving your world. But it’s one way we can at least offer to our taxpayers that we are trying to help them.”
Out of the total $648k gained this year, in 2026, the county approved cuts worth $514k. This is almost 80% of the county’s revenue gained from property taxes.
“We haven’t depleted our general fund hardly at all this year,” said Westfall. “We are not going to affect the general fund by giving this money back.”
The repeal of Ohio’s property tax is not officially set for the ballot, but it has the potential to appear in November 2026.
A motion was approved without contest among all Commissioners. A formal resolution will be created in the near future.
The commissioners reviewed the Dog Warden Agreement with the Humane Society, which is set to expire on December 31, 2025.
“We contract with them to do the Dog Warden duties, and at this point, we are paying them $8,929 per month, and $107,148 annually,” explained Rummel.
He requested an analysis of revenue and expenditures within the department before offering a proposal contract.
The payment of bills was approved. A transfer resolution on behalf of the Commissioner’s Office, Common Pleas Court, Coroner’s Office, Department of Aging, Engineer’s Office, EMS, and Hillside Country Living was tabled for further review. It was later approved at the end of the meeting with no changes.
Disposal of property for a variety of items at the North Annex was approved. It consisted of various office supplies and furniture. The total value was less than $5,000.
Additional approvals covered several items, including:
-A permit to travel for M. Levy to attend the Motorola APX Radio Programming Class.
-18 permits to work within County/Township right-of-ways for Charter Communications.
-Notices and Acceptances of Awards for Snow Removal for the East Annex and Title Office.
-Treasurer Monthly Inventory Report for October.
-PSI Proposal for the North Annex.
The commissioners moved forward to discuss the Williams Metropolitan Housing Authority. Patti Rockey’s term was due to expire, and she chose to continue her term.
VIP, the system in which the county commissioners pay various bills involving the county, was reviewed. Rummel offered ideas for changing the workflow to eliminate viewing the bills multiple times. It was decided to keep the current system as is.
The Ohio Consumer Council Deputy (OCC), Angela O’Brien, visited the Board to spread awareness of the proposed Aqua Ohio water rate increase.
The OCC’s consumer alert noted that the company has requested an additional $13.4 million annually from consumers, which would result in an estimated 45.7% rate increase for Williams County customers.
Currently, only residents of Lake Seneca and Norlick Place will be affected.
Under the proposal, a typical customer could see their monthly bill rise from $56.40 to $84.20, undergoing a $25.80 increase. Similar percentage hikes are projected for Aqua Water Ohio’s service area across the state.
The rate case includes Aqua Ohio’s request to raise returns for investors and fund 108 miles of infrastructure projects.
The OCC expressed concerns about the timing of the proposal amid inflationary pressures and rising costs for essentials such as energy and food.
The OCC’s review of the case will primarily focus on consumer affordability and the necessity of Aqua’s proposed expenditures.
A legal investigation will be held by the OCC, with Aqua Ohio to hold local public hearings around the state. It was noted that in 2023, a rate increase of 5.7% was approved.
No public hearings near Williams County were held, as the majority of the services are in eastern Ohio.
Several residents of Norlick Place were in attendance for the meeting, expressing their concern about the major cost increase. HOA President, Sarah Ernsberger, was present with 75 written petitions opposing the utility raise.
Commissioners expressed interest in drafting a further petition to include a local hearing near Williams County. More details will follow.
The meeting adjourned at 11:16 with no further business. A work session with Andres, O’Neil, and Lowe was held to discuss insurance rates and coverage.