Council backs utility committee plan to raise deposits and add $2 account fee; trash contract discussed

The Sherwood Village Council on Dec. 17 approved Utility Committee recommendations that would add a $2 administrative fee per utility account and raise new-account deposits from $100 to $150 (allocated $50 water, $50 sewer, $50 trash).

Administrator/Fiscal Officer Sherri Ramey summarized the committee's rationale, saying the additional fee would help cover increased administrative costs and that higher deposits would apply to future residents. The committee also recommended entering a contract with Werlor Waste Control for garbage service; council accepted the committee recommendations by motion (moved by Alex Buchhop, seconded by Jamie Vogelsong) as recorded in the minutes.

Council members discussed how new housing developments might be handled: rather than using a Tax Increment Financing program, the committee favored installing water and sewer capacity and assessing only the new homes for those installation costs. Ramey said she had met with Erika Willitzer of Defiance County Economic Development about an upcoming grant that could support developer incentives if the village decided to install infrastructure.

The trash pickup contract (item 0-25-11-01) was advanced on its second reading during the meeting; if approved it would run March 2026–March 2029. The council did not record detailed vote tallies for every member on that item beyond the second-reading acceptance noted in the minutes.

The council's action moves the recommendations to the next administrative steps: drafting contract language for the waste provider, formalizing the deposit changes in ordinance or administrative policy, and continuing grant outreach for development support.