Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Oak Harbor village council members approved an ordinance at the latest regular meeting on March 2 authorizing an annexation agreement with Salem Township.
Mayor Quinton Babcock said there’s multiple reasons for wanting to annex the land, which involves several properties not officially part of the village.
One is a jurisdictional issue. If the police show up to one of these properties, which they will because they're going to be the closest, they don't have jurisdiction. Another is an equity argument, where the owners of the properties are in the village, using all the village services, and receiving the benefits of those services, but they aren’t paying taxes like their neighbors are.
And those things lead to other issues. For example, if the village wanted to put a sidewalk on a side of the road within a non-annexed portion of land.
“It’s more complicated because it's not the village,” Babcock said. “Basically, we looked at a handful of properties like that and a handful of scenarios, for example, when you're completely surrounded by the village. We went to the (Salem Township) trustees and said, 'Hey, we have some concerns about this. We would like to have them come in the village. We would just want to get on the same page with you about it, because the township does lose a little bit of tax revenue because of that. It's really not significant, based on the properties we're talking, but it is real.’”
Babcock said that Salem County trustees previously agreed in principle to the proposal, and he gave them a draft. They requested more information, but he hasn’t heard back on where they stand since then. The terms of the agreement gives 90 days to finalize that. He said if they don’t agree, they may revisit the issue down the road, although the village could technically annex the land on its own if the homeowners in question agree to it. But they would prefer to take care of it on the front end.
Oak Harbor’s council members passed the ordinance in emergency form because they have a grant application going in for some of that infrastructure, such as the sidewalks, and it helps with the timeline.
School zone cameras
The contract has been signed for the school zone cameras, and there will be a rollout program involving that. The expectation is that they are ready and in place for the start of the 2026-27 school year with a 30-day warning period, after which they will go live.
With the system, photo monitoring will operate only in clearly marked school-zone locations and only during designated active school-zone hours. Violations will be treated as civil matters and will not result in BMV points or entries on a driving record.
Registered vehicle owners will receive a mailed notice with images and clear options to pay, identify another responsible party, or contest the citation in Ottawa County Municipal Court.
EPA sanitary survey
Results of the U.S. EPA sanitary survey were shared. There were a few minor violations, but the big one is the reservoir, which has been used since the early 2010s or so. Due to that, village officials will look at potentially decommissioning it, which is a 500,000-gallon tank.
Other council business
Council members had a third reading and subsequent passing of a resolution amending the revitalization district, which will help local businesses acquire liquor licenses.
A second reading took place for a resolution supporting collaborative marketing with the Black Swamp Bird Observatory to accept designation as the Warbler Capital of the World.
Another ordinance had a second reading, which sets salaries and compensation allowances for officers and employees in the village.
A first reading of a resolution took place, which establishes the South Railroad, Mill, and South Church Streets Improvement Project Fund for the accounting of funds received from the Ohio Public Works Commission.
B-C-S updates
Several highlights from recent activity within the school district were presented.
Snow days have been exceeded, so kids in seventh through 12th grades will have online assignments through Google Classroom, and the students in lower grades will have blizzard bags.
Aaron Bomer, a STEM teacher, presented an overview at the Feb. 24 school board meeting along with fourth grader Ryenn Lipstraw. It showcased hands-on, project-based learning that’s going on with second through sixth graders. Highlights included LEGO Spike activities, the Cardboard Arcade project, 3D printing, bridge building, rockets, and robotics, supported by tools such as iPads, 3D printers, a laser cutter, and drones. The program’s expansion to younger grades has been highly successful, with plans to pursue a Davis-Besse Grant to support continued growth.
Several Oak Harbor students, including Morgan LaLonde, CJ Huffman, Chelsea Arden (Innovation Plan), and Ashlyn Hall (Entrepreneurship Series), were named finalists in their events at the state level DECA competition.
An Oak Harbor Penta student, William Reynolds, earned fourth place in criminal justice – job interview to qualify for the SkillsUSA State Championships on May 5 in Columbus.
Kale John, an Oak Harbor High School senior, was inducted into the Eagle Scout Court of Honor on Feb. 15. He is in his 12th year of scouting and was presented with a proclamation from Ottawa County commissioner Donald Douglas and Mayor Babcock.
Eighth grade students Caroline Avery (1st place) and Anna Brewster (3rd place) earned awards in the Americanism Essay Contest, advancing to the Elks Northwest Ohio Regional Contest. Previously recognized winners were seventh grader Emma Schlagheck (1st place), fifth grader Elsie Perkins (1st place), and fifth grader Caralyn Rollheiser (3rd place).
The 38th annual reverse raffle is Saturday, April 11 with a grand prize of $5,000.
Oak Harbor’s Austin Sorg won two state championships at the OHSAA swimming and diving competition.
