STARTING FRESH … Williams County Commissioner Terry Rummel finished out his time as President of the Board at the January 5, 2023 session. Lew Hilkert was chosen to be the 2023 president and Bart Westfall will be the vice-president. (PHOTO BY REBECCA MILLER, STAFF)
By: Rebecca Miller
Bart Westfall was in his seat on the other side of the desk for his first session as a Williams County Commissioner on January 5, 2023.
Clerk Anne Retcher began the organizational meeting by reading the resolution that states the details of this meeting that has to be held each year no later than the second Monday of the year.
They proceeded to approve the following organizational resolutions:
- 1-2023 organization of the Board of County Commissioners for the year 2023. The board elected Commissioner Lew Hilkert to fill the position of president.
- 2 -2023 electing a VP for the board for 2023. The board elected Commissioner Bart Westfall to fill the position of vice-president. Retcher instructed the commissioners that from that point on, Westfall was to make motions and Terry Rummel to second them.
- 3-2023 setting meeting days and time for the Board for 2023 – Mondays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. till noon and 1 p.m. till 4:30, or until adjournment. If a holiday falls on Monday, the Board will meet, as needed, the following Tuesday at 8 a.m. till noon.
- 4-2023 establishing holidays for 2023.
- 5-2023 setting rules for the commissioners, as to who will be notified of public meetings of the Board of Williams Cunty Commissioners.
- 6-2023 appointing members of the Board of Williams County Commissioners to various boards and committees for 2023
- 7-2023 designating and granting various authority to clerk when the board does not meet due to a holiday, emergency or lack of quorum.
- 8-2023 county engineer being authorized to enter onto private property adjacent to county road rights of way.
- 9-2023 county engineer being authorized to hire labor and proceed by force account.
- 10-2023 county engineer furnishing labor and equipment to township and municipalities
- 11-2023 Appointment of sanitary engineer for Williams County, Ohio – Todd Roth, cost of services not to exceed $17,048.
- 12-2023 setting meeting day and time for monthly meetings at the Hillside Country Living – Third Thursday of each month at 8:30 a.m.
- 13-2023 setting the salary of the members of the Veterans Services Commission for 2023.
- 14-2023 To designate the official representative (Lew Hilkert) and alternate (Bart Westfall) for the purpose of voting at the Annual Meeting of the CCAO (County Commissioners Association of Ohio).
- 15-2023 Appointing members to the Williams County Department of Aging for 2023 – Melissa Cronin (Edgerton), Loralee Mercer (Pioneer), Linda Woodall (Stryker), Kelly Hephner (Montpelier), Mary Mohre (Edon) and Mindy Martin (Pioneer). They need representatives for Bryan and West Unity.
- 16-2023 Expressing intent to conduct an internet auction for the sale of unneeded, obsolete or unfit county personal property in 2023.
- 17-2023 Appointment of signatory to Farm Service Agency – Lew Hilkert.
- 18-2023 Appointing member to the Williams County Airport Authority Board – On December 29, 2022 Brent Wilson submitted his letter of resignation, from the board, to the Airport Authority Board, and recommended Mr. Charles Traxler for the remainder of his term. This resolution approved the placing of Charles Traxler on the Airport Authority Board and re-appointing Burton Blalock, Dave Newcomer and Dan Eshman for an additional term each. The seven board members at present are as follows – Scott Wyse, Kirk Vashaw and Aaron Herman from April 2, 2020 through July 31, 2023, Burton Blalock and Dave Newcomer from August 1, 2021 through July 31, 2026, Dan Eshman from August 1, 2021 through July 31, 2026 and Charles Traxler from January 5, 2023 through July 31, 2027. It was clarified that Brent Wilson still holds the position of Airport Assistant Manager.
- 19-2023 Appointment of signatory to Ohio Public Works Commission disbursement request form and certification – Ron Buda, Project manager certification, Vickie Grimm/County Auditor, Chief Financial Officer certification, Todd Roth/County Engineer, Chief Executive Officer certification.
This ended the organization meeting, and the commissioners chose to move directly into the regular session.
Commissioner Hilkert asked if they needed to have a resolution for the mileage rate moving to 65.5 this year and Retcher explained that it was not necessary as it was changed a few years ago to follow whatever the IRS states.
Resolutions approved during the regular meeting were:
-Resolution 20 Supplemental appropriations
-Resolution 21 Entering into a contractual agreement between Williams County JFS and Perry ProTech for service agreement on printers; maximum amount payable is $50 per month from October 31, 2022 through October 30, 2023.
-Resolution 22 Entering into a Memorandum of Understanding between Williams County JFS and Defiance/Paulding Consolidated JFS for foster care placement services.
-Resolution 23 Entering into a IV-E (4E) contract between Williams County JFS and ENA, Inc. for Title IV-E agencies and providers for the provision of child placement.
-Resolution 24 Entering into a purchase agreement between Selking International and Williams County Engineer for the purchase of a 2024 International Single Axle Truck with Kalida Body Equipment at a cost not to exceed $199,552.22.
-Also Signed: Purchase agreement for F-250 Super Duty Pickup Truck for Williams County Engineer’s ditch department; title page for George Bible Park Bridge project; monthly expenditures for credit cards for January 2023 for Prosecutor and Recorder; Dog Warden report for week of December 19-25, 2022 and December 26, 2022-January 1, 2023; Monthly report for Dog Warden for December 2022; capital asset transfer form for one of the vehicles from the Sheriff’s office to Common Pleas for the constables.
-Minutes for December 22, 2022 (with Westfall abstaining).
-Payment of bills
Commissioner Hilkert informed the other commissioners that he had received an email from Area Office on Aging, “which is a ten-county area that we sit on in this district.”
“Billie Johnson, long-time president and Director of Area Office on Aging will be retiring” on June 30, 2023.
“She has been one outstanding leader in that organization and that will be big shoes to fill,” he added.
Rummel added that he had “the privilege of working with her a few times and she will definitely be missed.”
With no further business the commissioners went into recess to finish paying the bills and then adjourned the meeting.
Rebecca can be reached at rebecca@thevillagereporter.com