Rossford council adopts multiple 2025/26 budget measures, awards road design contract

Rossford City Council adopted several ordinances on Nov. 12, 2025, including measures that advance funds between tax-increment financing accounts, amend 2025 appropriations, and authorize design work for 2026 road resurfacing.

Council read Ordinance 2025-98 by title as the second reading for the 2026 annual appropriation measure; councilmember Chris Heben summarized the proposed 2026 budget as roughly $24.5 million in expenses against about $20 million in revenues and asked that the measure go for another reading. Heben said about $6.8 million of the budget was earmarked for public safety (roughly $3.4 million each for police and fire) and that $5.2 million was allocated for infrastructure improvements, including pedestrian hybrid beacons and neighborhood resurfacing.

Several first-reading ordinances were moved forward and adopted after council voted to suspend second and third readings. Ordinance 2025-100 awards a contract to Feller Finch for design of the 2026 residential road resurfacing program; council declared an emergency and adopted the ordinance the same evening. Council discussed whether Feller Finch had previously designed work in Maryland and confirmed experience on earlier projects.

Council also approved measures to move funds between internal accounts and to implement previously approved actions. Ordinance 2025-101 amends the 2025 appropriation to add funding to remit to the city of Toledo under a revised economic-development agreement. Ordinance 2025-102 transfers forfeited monies into the law-enforcement trust fund per a court order. Ordinance 2025-103 advances funds from one TIF fund to another (from fund 370 to fund 371) to cover 2025 debt-service payments with the intention of repaying those advances later. Ordinance 2025-104 amends supplemental appropriation number 22 to cover additional salary line items, county portions of forfeited funds, and transfers into law-enforcement funds. Ordinance 2025-105 permits housekeeping transfers between personnel and other line items to close out the year.

Ordinance 2025-106, a proposal to extend the 'blue' TIF established in 2017 by an additional 30 years, drew one public question from resident Reagan Strong who asked, 'Who benefits from this?' Councilmember Chris Heben responded: 'So, basically, what a TIF does is all of the property taxes that are paid within the TIF district, instead of that money going to the county, it comes to us. So it gives us the opportunity to build roads, install water lines, install sewer lines... which makes us attractive for development.' The council then suspended readings and adopted the extension.

Votes at a glance (selected adopted ordinances): - Ordinance 2025-100 (award design contract; emergency declared) — adopted by roll call; recorded individual 'aye' votes in favor. - Ordinance 2025-101 (amend 2025 appropriation to remit funds to Toledo) — adopted. - Ordinance 2025-102 (transfer forfeited monies to law-enforcement trust) — adopted. - Ordinance 2025-103 (advance TIF funds for debt service) — adopted. - Ordinance 2025-104 (amend supplemental appropriation #22) — adopted. - Ordinance 2025-105 (transfer appropriations housekeeping) — adopted. - Ordinance 2025-106 (extend TIF exemption for an additional 30 years) — adopted after brief public comment.

Councilmembers who were recorded speaking or whose votes were named during roll calls included Reynolds, Heben, Owen, Tinney, Echol and Toth. The meeting record shows voice and roll-call 'aye' votes on the adopted measures; no recorded 'no' votes were reported in those roll calls. The council noted that many of the appropriation and transfer measures were routine housekeeping or to implement previously approved economic agreements.

The measures will take effect according to the ordinances’ terms; council did not discuss additional implementation steps at length during the meeting. The council also highlighted several infrastructure projects that the budget will support, including intersection congestion-mitigation work funded by recently awarded grants.