Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
A representative named Holly from the Gibsonburg Senior Center opened up the meeting to discuss the benefits of the organization as an upcoming levy is on the ballot this November.
The county-wide levy is a 1 mill renewal and a 0.25 mill increase for each $1 of taxable value for the benefit of Sandusky County with the purpose of providing and maintaining service for senior citizens. Combined, the 1.25 mill equates to $34 for each $100,000 of the county auditor’s appraised value over its five-year length.
The representative said that September is National Senior Center Month, which is an opportunity to showcase the Gibsonburg Senior Center and the valuable programs, activities, and services that are provided. She handed out the September and October newsletters to the council members.
“Though September is when centers nationally recognize National Senior Center Month, the month is not much different than any other time throughout the year, with centers offering the same variety of programs and activities for guests to enjoy,” she said.
In 2024 alone, senior centers in the area offered a total of 1,692 programs for local seniors, with nearly 900 people taking part in the senior center services, she said.
“The programs we offer include exercise courses such as cardio and strength training, walking, chair yoga, and noodle drumming,” she said. “Other activities include arts and crafts, bingo, and book clubs. We hold special events such as Independence Day, senior picnic, veteran’s breakfast, monthly date, birthday days, and monthly clean eating meals. We also have educational programs, as well as wellness clinics, technology support sessions, and monthly on-site farmers market.”
She went on to discuss meeting the growing needs of the elderly population, where baby boomers, ages 60 to 69, are growing in number by 30 percent and comprise the fastest growing population segment in Ohio. Their local program provides services primarily to those 75 and older, and they provide homebound meal services to the frailer elderly. She said 85- to 89-year-olds have grown in number by 12 percent, and the 90-plus population has grown by 32 percent.
“Last year in Gibsonburg, we provided over 8,000 meals to homebound seniors and almost 1,500 lunches at the senior center,” she said. “That's 54 percent of the total service that's provided by the county-wide levy. The Sandusky County-wide property tax levy funds 77 percent of all of our services.
“We need your support as leaders of the community to keep mature Americans in their homes as long as possible, to meet the needs of the growing frail elderly population projected over the next five years, and to maintain local decision-making over the services provided by our tax dollars in the county.”
Following its third reading, a resolution suspending the prohibition of sale and use of alcohol in a public part for the Hispanic Heritage Festival in Williams Park on Sept. 27 was passed.
An ordinance authorizing pay increases to certain employees’ wages had its second reading.
This portion of the meeting was highlighted by the emergency passing of an ordinance regarding animals and fowl.
“As you all know, we've been working on updating the noise ordinance, noise regulations inside the corporation limits,” village administrator Marc Glotzbecker said. “We're trying to take other areas that directly correlate to the noise ordinance and get those items all cleaned up so that we have everything where it needs to be and all the cross references are all set … I would anticipate at the next meeting to have the first draft of the noise ordinance for review. I should have everything all set by then.”
In other new business, an ordinance employing Jared Armstrong as a full-time police officer within the Gibsonburg police department was passed as an emergency. He is the school resource officer locally and was already on the staff part-time.
Mayor Steven Fought praised the turnout of the town’s 9/11 ceremony at Williams Park, which featured Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jim Tressel.
“He was very patient with everybody who wanted to stick around and meet him, take a picture, get his autograph, all that,” Fought said. “I thought everything went really well … We've got some plans for next year. It's the 25th anniversary as well as our 10th for the ceremony (locally at Williams Park).”
In this portion, Glotzbecker discussed the latest on Omni Fiber, which featured news of the village denying their right-of-way permit because officials hadn’t received a complete set of plans for the entire project yet, and they wouldn’t consider a right-of-way until that is submitted.
Officials were frustrated with Omni Fiber’s progress as this was a project intended to get off the ground in February.
“I know that they occasionally tune in to the council meetings,” Glotzbecker said. “I hope they're listening. It's really not a good reflection on them for how this whole process has been going on. Even the right-of-way permit application — it wasn't actually signed by anyone. It was just typed in and changed the font. I mean, I can't in good conscience do that to the community.”
Glotzbecker went further.
“I mean, to be honest with you, we're in the middle of September,” he said. “Construction season is coming to a screeching halt here pretty soon, and we're not going to let anyone unnecessarily have to dig and tear into things during the winter months.”
It’s one of the fun years in which Halloween falls on a Friday, which also poses the potential issue of the Gibsonburg football team competing in a playoff game. Thus, village officials discussed potential trick-or-treat times, and they ultimately agreed that Oct. 31 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. was best.
“If we go the weekend before, we're going to have people screaming,” Glotzbecker said. “If we go Saturday, we're going to have people screaming. The mayor and I talked about it this morning, and we thought (we’d) just stick with October 31st from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.”
Gibsonburg’s police chief Don Karr thanked village officials for authorizing the full-time hire of Armstrong and said he started as the SRO on Sept. 15.
He then said the department is in the process of replacing all body armor as the equipment is only good for five years.
“We do get a grant reimbursement for most of it, but it's still pretty expensive,” he said.
He also said they’ve had some school bus red light violations recently, and they’re issuing citations.
“It's very expensive and very dangerous, so please pay attention,” he said.
The department is working on a carport to protect their cruisers from the sun.
The meeting concluded with representatives from Rumpke and WM, formerly known as Waste Management, discussing the features each of their companies feature as that bid is approaching.
The next council meetings are slated for Oct. 2 and 16. Meetings are held the first and third Thursday of each month. They are also streamed live and on-demand on the village’s “Gibsonburg, Ohio” Facebook page.
