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Huron County commissioners reorganize leadership, approve administrative delegations and award $2.11 million bridge contract
Summary
At a Jan. 6, 2026 reorganization meeting in Norwalk, Huron County commissioners elected Tom Dunlap president and James R. Morgan vice president for 2026, reaffirmed public comment rules, delegated administrative contracting and payment authority to the county administrator/clerk, authorized engineer actions and awarded a $2,109,500 bridge design/build contract.
Tom Dunlap was elected president of the Huron County Board of Commissioners and James R. Morgan was elected vice president during the board’s reorganization meeting Tuesday in Norwalk.
The commissioners — Tom Dunlap, Harry Brady and James R. Morgan — opened the Jan. 6 session by approving minutes from late December and then moved through a series of routine organizational resolutions. Administrator/Clerk Vickie Ziemba presided for the reorganization portion and reviewed the items the board would take up.
The board set its 2026 regular meetings for Tuesdays and the third Thursday of each month at 9:00 a.m. at 180 Milan Avenue, Suite 7, Norwalk, and adopted a rule for notice of special meetings (24 hours when practicable, with media notification procedures for emergency sessions). The board also affirmed its public-participation policy with a three-minute limit per speaker and a 15-minute public-comment period, to begin at 9:05 a.m.
By resolution, the commissioners delegated certain administrative powers to the County Administrator/Clerk for 2026 under Ohio Revised Code 305.30: the clerk may negotiate, approve and execute contracts under $20,000; allow and pay invoices up to $50,000 with auditor certification; and perform most personnel functions for departments that report to the board, except hiring or termination. Commissioner Harry Brady publicly thanked Ziemba for her work.
The board approved membership in the County Commissioners Association of Ohio for $10,111 and designated Commissioner Tom Dunlap as the county’s official voting representative, with Commissioner James R. Morgan as alternate.
On infrastructure and public-works matters, the board authorized the county engineer to proceed by “force account” — using county labor and equipment for construction, reconstruction or improvement of roads, bridges and culverts — subject to statutory bidding thresholds and required cost estimates. The commissioners also authorized the engineer to submit projects for Round 41 funding from the Ohio Public Works Commission and to enter related agreements, with local shares to be paid from the engineer’s Auto Tax account if projects are selected.
The board awarded the design/build contract for the Peru West Section Line Road Bridge Replacement (HUR-CR-065-02.11; PID 119355) to Great Lakes Demolition Co. LLC of Clyde, Ohio, at $2,109,500. The resolution notes funding will be provided in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Transportation and further coordination will occur through the County Engineer’s Office.
Additional administrative actions included naming Valerie Stebel as the county’s Prevailing Wage Coordinator for commissioner projects in 2026; continuing Technology Fund #131 for the county recorder with a $7.00 per-document charge effective Jan. 1, 2026; and approving a 2026 wellness-grant agreement with the County Employee Benefits Consortium of Ohio (CEBCO), which provides $4,000 in administrative funds and designates Michele Pfeiffer as the county wellness contact.
The commissioners also authorized an agreement between the Huron County Department of Job and Family Services (Children Services) and the Huron County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for an assistant prosecutor to be exclusively assigned to child-protective-services and placement matters, referencing federal Title IV-E and Ohio Administrative Code provisions cited in the resolution.
In other business, Administrator/Clerk Ziemba said the county has received an annual notice from the Ohio Department of Agriculture seeking an Apiary Inspector and reported a lease-termination letter from North Central Area Transit (NCAT), which plans to vacate county property Feb. 28; the board requested a walkthrough with NCAT when keys are returned. The meeting adjourned at 9:40 a.m.
Votes at a glance: each formal resolution recorded a roll-call vote of Aye — Harry Brady, Tom Dunlap, James R. Morgan (no no/abstain votes recorded in the minutes).
