The Council of the Village of Woodsfield
July 6, 2026
The Council of the Village of Woodsfield met in Regular Session on July 6, 2026.
I. Roll Call:
Present: Council Members; Bill Allen, Alicia Gardner, Kim Schaber, Tiffany Ramsay, Rusty Atkinson, Mayor Carol Hehr, Fiscal Officer Lori Cunard, Village Administrator Kevin Brooks and Solicitor Ryan Regel.
Absent: Council member Tom Kirkland
II. Pending Meeting Minutes Approval:
Rusty Atkinson made the motion to accept the June 15, 2026 Council meeting minutes as written. Tiffany Ramsay second the motion. Tom Kirkland – absent. Motion passed 5-0.
III. Registered Visitors:
Eddie Martin, Alumni Association – Mr. Martin attended to thank Council, Village employees, and Police Department for everything they did during Alumni weekend. He said the town really looked nice and he had a lot of comments on how nice it looked and he was very proud of the town. Mr. Matin said the only complaint was in regard to there being no restrooms during the concert on the lot next door to the City Building. He said there isn’t as much lighting at this end of town and even though the City Building was left unlocked for use of the restrooms, they felt it was very dark. He said this may be something to think about for next year’s Alumni. Mayor Hehr said it was well attended and she knows the Alumni Committee puts in a lot of work every year.
IV. Old Business:
Kim Schaber said she would like to discuss the dumpsters. Kim Schaber said she would like to make a motion to eliminate the service of the dumpsters for next year. She said even with the cameras and the security we still had people who were getting in the dumpsters, and she said that is an accident waiting to happen. She knows people appreciate it, but she also feels they take advantage of it without thinking about ruining it for others. So, she wants to make the motion to discontinue the service. A council visitor spoke up and asked if the public could comment before a vote is taken. Mayor Hehr said she needs to ask for a second vote first and then will open it up for comments. There was not a second, motion defeated.
Mayor Carol Hehr said she agrees with Kim Schaber that we need to spend some time to re-vamp the service. She said she hates seeing the people who are following the rules for the dumpster service to be punished. But Mayor Hehr said we spend a lot of money to clean up our town, not the county. Kim Schaber said she is basing her decision on what she has seen so far and it gets abused year after year.
Kevin Brooks said last year we placed the dumpsters in multiple locations, but not all of those locations had cameras and there was a lot of illegal dumping. Mr. Brooks said this is one service that is used by our residents, it is abused by residents of the County because we are not enforcing the letter of the law. He said it doesn’t make sense to pay someone to sit and watch the dumpsters every day all day, however maybe that is what we need to do to ensure they are only being used by our residents. Mr. Brooks thinks it is a worthwhile program and worth saving if we can eliminate the nonsense. He said we do publish the rules and try to enforce the rules as much as possible but we cannot be there 24/7 for that 5 day window of time.
Kim Schaber asked if maybe we could coordinate with Southeastern Waste District and do the clean-up week at the same time. She said maybe that would help eliminate the illegal dumping in our dumpsters. Kevin Brooks said he thinks Southeastern Waste District usually does theirs a lot later in the year and we have always done ours in May to allow for Alumni weekend.
Kevin Brooks said he will talk to Chief Corey Jones for ideas on how to better the program for next year. He said he appreciates what Kim Scaber is saying but he would like to think through some ideas to try and make it work.
Kim Schaber asked if the Village has any fines or extra charges for prohibitive items that have to be taken to a hazardous waste site. She asked if hazardous items have to be taken to a separate landfill and if so, is the Village being charged extra for that. Kevin Brooks said Rosen just charges the Village the
dumping fee for the regular landfill, we have never been charged an extra fee. He said Rosen is working with us to make the program successful. Mayor Hehr said maybe we are not advertising enough as to what is acceptable in the dumpsters.
Kevin Brooks said they would talk about it and see what they can come up with for next year that would be acceptable.
Mr. Brooks said we used to do brush pick-up until the EPA stopped us from collecting brush at the Cemetery. We have tried to partner with one of the local tree services to do a brush chip day, we have not come to an agreement yet on how it will work but they are working on it and we do have a contractor who is willing to do it if we can come to an agreement.
V. Administrator Report:
Kevin Brooks, Village Administrator, reported there was a project meeting for the Water/Wastewater/Storm today. We are running a little behind due to M. O’Herron selling the company. The original crew is no longer working and there is a new crew that is taking over and will be back on site the week of July 20th. We have demanded the work on the downtown be done during the night. The road will be closed from 6-7:00 p.m. and re-open at 7:00 a.m. for three to five days to help minimize the impact to businesses in the downtown.
Mr. Brooks said there is a change order for the upgrades at the Water Treatment Plant. The existing line between the backwash valve and the filters developed leaks during construction. It is our responsibility to fix it at a cost of $15,898.70. Bill Allen made a motion to repair the existing line between the backwash valve and filters at the Water Treatment Plant for $15,898.70. Kim Schaber second the motion. Tom Kirkland – absent. Motion passed 5-0.
Kevin Brooks said the second change order for the backwash project is that there are two valves and another line at the Water Treatment Plant that has not been working for a significant amount of time. It will be about a $40,000.00 expenditure but our position is that it will be money well spent and we already have the crew on site. Bill Allen asked what accounts it would come from. Kevin Brooks said it could come from Water or Municipal Capital Projects, or we could also extend the OWDA with a zero percent interest loan, but he is hesitant to do that because of the Village long-term debt. Bill Allen said he would also be hesitant to take on more debt. Rusty Atkinson said if it has to be done and will cost more later then it is a no brainer to have it done.
Kevin Brooks said they talked with the engineering group about what our next project is. There are three projects we really need to do. One is the outstanding issue at Rubel Lake with the dam and spillway. The second is stand-by generators at the Water Treatment Plant and also the need to upgrade the SCADA system at the Water Treatment Plant. With all of the projects included we are looking at an additional $5.819 million. At that point everything would be done with Water and Sewer that we are aware of. We are starting the process of procuring a 30-year zero percent interest loan. Mr. Brooks said he is not saying we are going to be starting any of these projects or that we are taking on almost $6 million in debt, but we are just starting the process with USDA, OWDA, etc. Generally speaking, when we take on a big project we take a year to catch our breath and not move forward but Mr. Brooks said he would prefer to get this on the docket so that we would at least have a plan. He said the Rubel Lake situation has been going on before he was here and the Village chose not to do anything and at some point ODNR and the EPA will require us to do something. Council all agreed we need to move forward. Kim Schaber said the reason the Village infrastructure is where it is now is because projects have been pushed aside so it is time to move forward. Kevin Brooks said it would be at least a year to eighteen months for the design phase before we even think about going to bid and we do want to apply for every opportunity we have for grant funds. Kim Schaber made a motion to move forward with the Rubel Lake and Water Treatment Plant upgrades to the SCADA System and a generator. Bill Allen second. Tom Kirkland – absent. Motion passed 5-0.
Kevin Brooks asked for a motion from Council to hire Bryce Farrabee as seasonal part-time in the Park/Cemetery Departments at $13.00/hr. Rusty Atkinson made the motion. Tiffany Ramsay second the motion. Tom Kirkland – absent. Motion passed 5-0.
Kevin Brooks said Lewis Hill, Electric Superintendent, peak shaved every day last week and there also was an emergency event Thursday through Friday where he had to peak shave an additional amount.
We continue to try and reduce customer transmission costs as much as possible, and we still have the lowest energy costs of anyone around us. Last year we saved $158,000.00 on transmission costs by peak shaving and $30,000.00 on capacity costs.
VI. Fiscal Officer Report:
Fiscal Officer Lori Cunard has completed the June bank reconciliation for Council signatures.
Lori Cunard has an Ordinance in Council packets for a distribution from OWDA.
Kevin Brooks said he encourages Council to take a look at the Village long-term debt schedule that has been provided to them. It sums up everything the Village owes and is very informative.
VII. Committee Chair/Council Reports:
Rusty Atkinson – Nothing to report.
Tiffany Ramsay – Tiffany Ramsay reported that the Property Maintenance Committee was scheduled to meet this evening but due to several of the members having scheduling conflicts the meeting was re-scheduled for July 14th @ 4:30 pm.
Tiffany Ramsay reported that despite the extreme temperatures, there was a very good turnout at the Firework’s Festival. Everyone enjoyed the band, food and fireworks.
Mayor Carol Hehr said they received a very generous donation from Kirkbride family in appreciation for letting them set up at no charge. Mayor Hehr also said the fireworks were very nice and she really appreciates all the work the Fire Department puts into it every year.
Kim Schaber – Kim Schaber said she has had someone ask how well the DORA does during the Alumni weekend and through the course of the summer and fall months. Mayor Hehr said she delivered 300 cups to Traditions; the Wooden Shoe purchased 50 cups and at 8:30 pm they called and needed more so she took them 150 more and the Mexican restaurant had cups from last year and did not need any more. Kim Schaber said that she did a quick survey of the three establishments and together there were 604 cups that went out on Friday evening into Saturday of the Alumni. She said the establishments told her they don’t do very well the rest of the year but with the concert that Community Strong had she feels it drew in more people. Kevin Brooks said he talked with Chief Jones and there were no issues at all during Alumni weekend. He also said we have never sold a sleeve of cups other than Alumni weekend so he is hoping that the concerts will draw more people in. Tiffany Ramsay said Community Strong does have a concert scheduled in August. She said when she promotes the concerts, she reminds people in the ad about DORA and where they can purchase drinks. Solicitor Ryan Regel reminded Council there is a statute that says Council has to review the DORA every five years. It was passed in September 2023 so in 2 more years Council will have to decide whether they want to continue with DORA or dissolve it. Kevin Brooks also said that now since we offer the Brown Center it opens up some opportunities. We could have the concerts there and use the parking lot.
Alicia Gardner – Nothing to report.
Bill Allen – Nothing to report.
VIII: Solicitor’s Report:
Nothing to report but Solicitor Regel does need a brief Executive Session at the end of the meeting regarding matters that are required to be kept confidential, and he doesn’t think any action will be taken.
Kevin Brooks asked Solicitor Ryan Regel if there are any updates on the Riesbeck walking path. Solicitor Regel said there is some discussion on one of the parcels that has been in question. There has been communication between one of the companies involved and their legal counsel. Mr. Brooks said
ODOT is ready to release funds for the project, and we are being held up now for property acquisition. He said we are getting to the point where they may close it out and push it into 2027.
IX: Mayor’s Report:
Mayor Hehr asked for a motion to approve the payment of bills. Bill Allen made the motion. Kim Schaber second the motion. Tom Kirkland – absent. Motion passed 5-0.
Mayor Hehr asked for a motion to approve the Mayor’s Court Report, June 2026. Tiffany Ramsay made the motion. Alicia Gardner second the motion. Tom Kirkland – absent. Motion passed 5-0.
Mayor Hehr asked for a motion to approve the Income Tax Report, June 2026. Bill Allen made the motion. Rusty Atkinson second. Tom Kirkland – absent. Motion passed 5-0.
Mayor Hehr asked for a motion to approve Ordinance #09-2026, An Ordinance Providing for Amending and Revising Specific Line-Items in the Appropriations of Expenditures for the Village of Woodsfield for the Calendar Year 2026 and to suspend the rules Declaring an Emergency. Bill Allen made the motion. Kim Schaber second the motion. Alicia Gardner – yes, Tiffany Ramsay – yes, Rusty Atkinson – yes. Tom Kirkland – absent. Motion passed 5-0. Ordinance #09-2026 adopted.
Mayor Hehr said she is writing a NatureWorks grant for furniture for the proposed park on Main Street. She said the grant is $10,110.00 and the Village match is $3,370.00 for a total of $13,480.00. Mayor Hehr asked for a motion to pass Resolution #2026-04, A Resolution Stating that Mayor Carol Hehr is Hereby Authorized and Directed to Execute and File an Application with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Tiffany Ramsay made the motion. Rusty Atkinson second the motion. Motion passed 5-0. Bill Allen asked if the grant application has already been filed or if this is just giving Mayor Hehr permission to file it. Mayor Hehr said she has written the grant but has not filed it yet.
Mayor Hehr said she was approached by a family about 3 weeks ago saying they want to purchase a clock for the north island. The family is the Egger family, and they want to honor Egger Hardware which was here for 100 years. Mayor Hehr has been in contact with a company that will make the clock so it will not be done until October or November and the Egger’s would like to put a plaque on it that would say the following: Gifted to the Village by Jeanne Drum Egger and Nancy Egger Rubel. In memory of L. P. Egger and Sons Hardware Store. Established in 1897 and located at 116 S. Main St. Operated by L. P. Egger, Sr. and Sons, Raymond P. Egger and Louis P. Egger and their Families for nearly 100 years.
Mayor Hehr asked for a motion to pass Resolution #2026-05, A Resolution Acknowledging and Accepting the Donation of a Public Clock from the Egger Family and Declaring an Emergency. Tiffany Ramsay made the motion. Bill Allen second the motion. Tom Kirkland – absent. Motion passed 5-0.
Mayor Hehr said the all-call system is up and running. She said there have been several issues and she had to call the company several times. Hopefully the kinks are out of it, and she stated that if there is a true emergency, she will do an all-call no matter the time. Mayor Hehr said in case of a tornado, that is up to the Fire Department.
X. Un-registered Visitors/Guests (each allotted 2 minutes):
Larry Jeffers – Mr. Jeffers said he had talked with Council about 2 months ago about his electric bill. He said he was told that Mr. Brooks would have the electric superintendent contact him, but no one contacted him and he said he had left probably 10 messages with the girls in the Utility Office. He said he still does not agree with his electric bill, and he cannot believe his small trailer used $618.00 worth of electric in February and March.
Mayor Hehr asked what his electric bills are like now and Mr. Jeffers said he just got a bill for $142.00, and he doesn’t use A/C, he has no freezer and no full-size refrigerator, and no washer and dryer. He said he has not been using his A/C because he cannot afford any more per month. He said the only thing he is using is lights. Mr. Jeffers said he has lived there for about two and a half years and has had issues since he moved in. Mayor Hehr said Lewis Hill, Electric Superintendent, is on vacation this week but when he gets back, she is going to send him out to talk with Mr. Jeffers. He said he is very upset about this and he feels like he is being ignored.
Walter Russell – Mr. Russell said on Wednesday, July 8th, the MCRP has Declaration of Independence picnic at City Park. It will be held from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm and at 6:00 pm will be a reading of the Declaration. This will be happening all across Ohio with kids reading the Declaration. He said they will
have the County Bell at the Park also and asked for permission to pull his truck and trailer beside the Pavilion. Mayor Hehr said that should be fine as long as it’s not raining and wet that it would tear up the
grass. Kevin Brooks said the Brown Center is available if it is raining. Lori Cunard said she would check the schedule to make sure it is not rented for that evening.
Mr. Russell asked how long a person has to bring their property into compliance after they receive a letter from the Property Maintenance Committee. Tiffany Ramsay said it varies but Mayor Hehr said most of the time they are given 30 days. Walter Russell said there are properties in town that have looked bad for a long time. Mr. Russell also asked about the A. J. Baker property and Mayor Hehr said they are addressing that now; he requested to go to County. Solicitor Regel said there had been communication with the Police Department about the citation earlier this month. Solicitor Regel said there is enforcement problems, he said we can cite them and take them through County Court where they get a financial fine and hope that’s enough of a motivation to get their property in compliance. He also said there is an Ordinance that allows the Village to get the property in compliance but there is expenses associated with that which the Village isn’t guaranteed to get reimbursed. The amount does get assessed to their taxes but that is where you have to decide how much money is the Village willing to invest in taking on that responsibility.
Walter Russell also asked about an Ordinance for abandoned vehicles on residents’ property, Mayor Hehr said they are working on it.
Matt Payne – Mr. Payne had attended the last Council meeting, and he said he needs to apologize to Council. He came in on rumors that had been told to him that were not true. He was told Mr. Brooks did not live in Woodsfield, which is not true, and he was told that Mr. Brooks makes well over $100,000.00/yr., which also is not true. Mr. Payne said we need to inform the public about the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) which allows the public to go to any public entity and request any information they need. He said he apologizes for coming in without accurate information.
Mr. Payne also verified that the Council meetings are recorded and asked if all Council members have access to them. He also asked if Council members have access to the visitor sign in sheet and Mayor Hehr said they do have access to both.
Mr. Payne said he feels there is a problem with Kim’s notes on Facebook. He said for one thing his name is being misspelled and asked not to misspell his name again and the notes referred to him as unintelligible and he said he is highly intelligible and lastly, he said don’t say “we’ll see” because if he says something he will be back. He said those three things are actually threats and he could bring a lawsuit against those threats, so he said whoever is doing Kim’s notes to be forewarned.
Mr. Brooks said he wanted to follow up with Mr. Payne in regard to his sewer bill. Mr. Payne said he also followed up on it and Mr. Brooks was correct in what he told him at the last meeting. Mr. Brooks said he talked with an engineer, and they went through a scenario of how to give credit. The issue is that it would be an arbitrary number so as an example if we were to use 10%, that may be the number for one person but may not be the right number for another person so he was urged to let it go but he wanted Mr. Payne to know that he did follow up on his question. Mr. Payne said his meter has been changed, hopefully everything is good to go, and the Water Department guys were all great.
Angela Beardmore – Angela Beardmore just wanted to thank Council for coming to the ribbon cutting of the Blessing Box on the lot next door. She also wanted to make sure the Street Department employees are thanked for installing the two Blessing Boxes. She said she has been sharing an Amazon wish list on the Blessing Box page and there is a Facebook page for the Blessing Box. Mayor Hehr thanked Angela Beardmore for organizing the Blessing Box and everything she does for the community. Mr. Brooks also thanked Angela Beardmore, he thinks it is a great program, and he is amazed at how well it has been received. Angela Beardmore said she feels it has raised the awareness of people’s needs in the area and it is anonymous so it can be utilized without any judgement.
Mayor Hehr asked for a motion to go into Executive Session to discuss confidential matters. Rusty Atkinson made the motion. Bill Allen second the motion. Tom Kirkland – absent. Motion passed 5-0. Executive Session entered at 7:00 p.m.
Mayor Hehr called the meeting back into Regular Session. Regular Session entered at 7:05 p.m.
XI. Adjourn:
Mayor Hehr asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Alicia Gardner made the motion. Kim Schaber second the motion. Tom Kirkland – absent. Motion passed 5-0. The meeting was adjourned at 7:06 p.m.
ATTEST:
___________________________ ____________________________
Carol Hehr, Mayor Lori Cunard, Fiscal Officer