New Lebanon council swears in members, elects Cooper as vice mayor and approves prosecutor contract

The New Lebanon Village Council on Jan. 6 held its annual organizational meeting, swearing in two incoming council members, electing Terresa/Theresa Cooper as vice mayor for a one-year term, and approving several board appointments and two resolutions, including a one-year prosecutorial-services contract.

The meeting opened with oaths of office for the new members, identified in the transcript as Mr. Tom Walder and Mrs. Theresa Cooper, followed by an invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance. Mayor Nickerson led a verbal roll call and the council approved the Dec. 16, 2025 meeting minutes.

The law director reviewed key provisions of the New Lebanon charter required at the organizational meeting, including selection of a vice mayor, board and commission appointments and voting thresholds. The director said the charter ‘‘is the virtual bible of the village’’ and stressed that many appointments must be by roll-call vote and that some boards require a two-thirds vote.

Council opened nominations for vice mayor; a council member nominated Terresa (transcript variants: Theresa/Terresa) Cooper and a second was recorded. In the roll-call vote Council Members Ston, Wilder, Nickerson, Back, Cooper and Joy all voted yes and the motion carried 6–0. Cooper accepted the post and moved to the vice mayor’s seat.

The council then named the mayor as the primary delegate to the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission and elected an alternate (Melissa Sexton) by unanimous roll call. Council appointed two members to serve on the volunteer firefighter fund board for one-year terms and filled a parks-and-recreation seat (Mr. Wilder) by unanimous vote; it also reappointed Robin Feck, Rob Dennis and Nicole Atkins to the parks and recreation board with terms expiring Dec. 31, 2028.

On unfinished business, council heard second readings of two ordinances — Ordinance 2025-18 (2026 pay scale for non-bargaining-unit employees) and Ordinance 2025-19 (compensation for an interim village manager) — and scheduled both for third and final readings and votes on Jan. 21, 2026.

Under new business Council approved Resolution 2026-01 to amend Resolution 2025-43 by specifying a five‑year term for liens related to delinquent curb-and-gutter assessments; the village manager explained the change would permit processing the lien through the county. The resolution passed by roll-call vote 6–0.

Council also approved Resolution 2026-02 authorizing the village to enter a one-year prosecutorial-services agreement with attorney Keith A. Fricker at the same fee as the prior arrangement: $1,000 per month. The motion carried by roll-call vote 6–0.

Administrative reports included utility updates (Well No. 6 was cleaned and returned to service after re-disinfection and testing), an IT server upgrade scheduled to allow necessary software updates, and grant activity: the village said it received a $50,000 ODNR tennis-court grant with reimbursement pending, invoiced the local school $67,450 as the first draw toward its share, and noted a $35,000 vest grant for the police department. Staff also reported an unmarked police vehicle involved in a crash produced a roughly $5,200 deductible reimbursement and that a new business, Havana Cafe, aims to open in March.

The meeting closed after a unanimous vote to enter executive session to discuss the sale of public property and personnel matters; on return the mayor certified the topics discussed and council adjourned. The next regular council meeting is scheduled for Jan. 20, 2026, with a work session at 6:00 p.m.