PHOTO BY JOHN FRYMAN / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
LEVY DISCUSSIONS … Montpelier Village Fiscal Officer Nikki Uribes (left) and council member Heather Freese (right) discuss the fire and police levy fund established at the council meeting on Monday, November 24.
By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
Montpelier Village Council approved a new fire contract agreement with Bridgewater Township at its regular session on Monday, November 24.
Council members in attendance were Heather Freese, Nathan Thompson, Melissa Ewers, Chris Kannel, and Kevin Motter. Don Schlosser was absent.
Following the roll call and prayer by Rev. Kevin Doseck of St. Paul United Methodist Church, Montpelier, the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
After approval of the agenda for November 24 and minutes from the October 27 meeting, the council then approved the 2026 fire contract with Bridgewater Township.
Village manager Jason Rockey told council members the fire contract is calculated differently than any other township the village covers for fire protection.
“We’re dealing with a small portion of the southern part of the township,” said Rockey. “I think it was asked when we sent these out if they had gone up or down because Bridgewater has decreased from 2025 to 2026, and it’s gone down to about $5,000.
“Their 2026 contract is $10,298, and we figured out the total cost per run, and then Bridgewater pays a flat rate of five runs.”
A motion was made for the approval of federal grant policies and procedures. Village fiscal officer Nikki Uribes said there were six required different policies approved when the village receives federal grant money.
“We have a procurement policy before there were some updates to it,” Uribes said. “Cost of principles, spending federal funds, internal controls, time and effort reporting, cash immunity grants, and equipment. This is a requirement for federal grant funds.”
A third and final reading was approved for Resolution 1437 pertaining to the 2026 appropriations, which takes effect January 1, 2026.
Uribes had adjusted the expected revenue on the certificate of estimated revenue, with the employees’ elections into their health insurance, and what their reimbursement would be.
Council approved the establishment of a new Fire and Police Tax Levy Fund. Voters had recently voted for a two-tenths-of-a-percent income tax to provide funds for fire and police departments.
An agreement with ODOT (Ohio Department of Transportation) for an LPA agreement pertaining to grant funding for the Wabash Cannonball Trail was approved. The grant agreement will fund an improvement project on the trail between County Roads 13 and 17 in Williams County.
“This is the same thing we did with the Iron Horse Trail, that we’re going to follow ODOT’s rules,” said Rockey.
Council also approved the following ordinances:
-Enacting a 0.2 percent income tax increase for the fire and police levy. This will take effect on January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2035.
It will provide funds for the acquisition, equipping, repair, and maintenance of fire apparatus and equipment, and fund police personnel, equipment, and vehicles.
-Allocation of income taxes. This provides for changing the division of a one percent income tax levied pursuant to sections 181.03 and 185.012 of the Ohio Revised Code. Effective January 1, 2026, 60 percent is for operating expenses and 40 percent for capital improvements.
-Approved Village of Montpelier food truck regulations on third reading. The regulations will pertain to temporary stores, transient dealers, and food trucks.
-Changed the reciprocity tax rate to 1.8 percent, involving tax paid to other municipalities. Effective January 1, 2026.
-Suspended and passed Ordinance 2289. This involves House Bill 5, when the village had to enact a change in the annual tax rate imposed upon municipal taxable income. This will take effect on January 1, 2026.
Rockey told the council the village was awarded a CDBG Grant for the Main Street Waterline project, which is scheduled to begin next spring. The amount of the grant is $500,000 and should be received by January, before the village begins seeking out bids for the project.
He said the Maumee Valley Planning Commission will provide administrative work for the project.
Also, Rockey met with the Land Bank and agreed to receive the property at 324 West Main Street, with the intent to transfer it to a new owner.
That owner has committed to putting on a new roof and stabilizing that building as quickly as possible. The next step is to get a new title search done for the building.
He added that village administrator Justin Houk had submitted an application for a burn permit to the EPA. The fire department will be burning tree piles on the Iron Horse River Trail. Village residents will see an outsourcing the mailing of utility bills starting in December.
“Nikki (Uribes) has done research on this, and it actually becomes a decent savings to the village that has somebody else do that work for us,” pointed out Rockey. “There are enough savings in postage by having a large mailer to do that.
“We aren’t going to have to pay for the paper, the envelopes, all the other expenses. When she (Uribes) had calculated it, she didn’t even count the time spent by the man hours from employees.”
Council then went into an executive session and made a motion to approve Montpelier Police Chief Dan McGee to perform training for another agency during the first shift.
Source: The Village Reporter