MANSFIELD — Traffic, zoning, bridges and roads were all topics of discussion during a panel discussion of Richland County mayors on Wednesday.
The panel was hosted by the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce’s Mansfield-Richland Area Educational Foundation and featured leaders from eight villages and cities.
Each outlined their primary goals for the year, major ongoing projects and economic development challenges.
Bellville braces for YMCA soccer complex
Mayor Teri Brenkus said her primary vision for the village of Bellville is “smart development,” that allows Bellville to grow without losing its small town charm.
Brenkus said there are multiple development projects ongoing in the village, including the YMCA Soccer Complex near the 97/71 interchange.
“They should be finishing up their fields by the end of 2026,” she said. “They’re going to start those fields first and then add the building.”
The Richland County Parks District is also partnering with the West Creek Conservancy to restore more than 70 acres of land donated by the Gorman family. About 20 acres of agricultural fields will return to wetland, while roughly 50 acres of forest will thrive alongside it.
Officials have said the Oxbow Woods property will eventually be open to the public with nature trails.
As far as the village government is concerned, Brenkus said her focus is taking a step back and making sure its debts are covered before taking on additional projects.
“We have done, I believe, some incredible work over the last eight years,” she said. “There’s not a lot of big projects for the village, except for cleaning up our roadways, and taking care of some infrastructure.”
Brenkus cited the possibility of new property tax legislation as a reason for holding back on any new projects. If a citizen committee succeeds in placing an issue on the ballot to eliminate property taxes statewide, Brenkus said it could cost the village up to $700,000 in annual revenue.
Brenkus also pointed out that villages are responsible for maintaining state routes within their corporate limits. She said keeping up with Ohio 97 and Ohio 13 is a “constant struggle” for the village’s small staff.
“In order to have economic development, you do have to have a great infrastructure,” she said. “We pretty much have the water and the wastewater down pat out there, but unfortunately, the state routes are very difficult for a small village to maintain.”
Brenkus said she’s excited for the growth the YMCA Soccer Complex will bring to the 97/71 corridor and is currently working with Richland County Regional Planning and the Ohio Department of Transportation to figure out how to best handle a potential influx in traffic.
“We’re expecting about 800 cars at the YMCA, at those fields for tournaments on the weekends, once that’s in place,” she said. “You put that on top of Mid Ohio (Sports Car Course) traffic as well and it’s a nightmare. So we are trying to get ahead of that.”
Butler focuses on utilities
Mayor Wesley Dingus of Butler said attracting additional housing and “good, clean business” is the primary objective for Richland County’s southernmost village.
“You can determine what’s good and what’s clean. I know what I consider good, clean business, but we do like to have store fronts and shops opened in the community,” he said.
Dingus said the village will get a new water line this year, as well as 27 new fire hydrants and a sewer-line rehabilitation project. The latter will reduce the amount of rainwater entering the wastewater treatment plant, making its operations more efficient.
Dingus said the village continues to encourage new residential and commercial growth by offering 15-year tax abatements on the increase in real estate value.
He said efforts are ongoing to construct a housing development at the former Clear Fork Ski Resort, which would include a community youth recreation center.
Lexington to upgrade senior center
Mayor Bob Jarvis of Lexington said his top objective for the village is beautification and expansion to pave the way for additional economic development.
Lexington’s main project for the year will be upgrading the Lexington Senior Center with more outdoor seating, pavers and a scenic overlook along the Clear Fork Mohican River. The project will be partially funded by a $425,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Jarvis said the village is currently accepting bids for the overlook project, which he hopes will be complete by November.
“The overlook will be a nice thing that people can look at from the bike trail,” he said. “It’s going to be big enough that we can put small bands out there and they can face the amphitheater-type seating we’re going put in over there.”
Jarvis said the village’s primary barrier for both housing and commercial development is that it’s “landlocked” — something he hopes to address by building a connector road that could allow for annexing additional land into the village.
“We could shoehorn one more plant into our industrial park, and that’s gonna be it. So we need to get that connector road going,” he said.
Lexington received a grant last year to pay for a feasibility study. That study looked at the logistics of building a new road connecting the intersection of Hanley and Lexington-Springmill with the intersection of Ohio 97 and U.S. 42.
The village is currently seeking grants to continue with the engineering and design phases, which could take up to five years. Even then, the project would still be subject to federal funding and approval from Lexington Village Council.
Lucas considers implementing an income tax
Mayor Todd Hall of Lucas said the village is always looking for opportunities to beautify the community and invest in downtown storefronts.
A new water treatment facility is in the works. Hall said the water from the current facility is safe to drink, but it’s less efficient than it should be.
“We’ve already started working with the EPA on a possible new location, trying to obtain some grant dollars,” he said. “We’re looking at a possible new location at the top of Wrightwood Boulevard, which is where one of our wells is currently located.”
He said one of the village’s primary challenges of late is finances.
“At last check, Lucas was one of less than 40 municipalities in the state of Ohio that operates without an income tax,” he said. “The time has come, we’re going have to do something.”
Under Ohio law, municipalities can collect up to one percent income tax without voter approval.
Hall said council is currently considering whether to put an income tax on the ballot or simply impose the 1-percent tax.
Plymouth prepares for road improvements, bridge replacement
Mayor Cassaundra Fryman said the village will be upgrading Plymouth East Road this year using grant funding and in partnership with New Haven Township in Huron County.
“We’re widening that street by three feet and then we’re going to do a repaving and add storm drains to it, which is gonna be great,” she said. “It’s notorious for having standing water on it, and it looks like gravel instead of an actual road, it’s so crumbled. So we’re very excited.”
Another top priority is finally replacing the bridge at West Broadway Street and Baseline Road. The Ashland Railway closed the privately-owned bridge in July 2022, citing safety concerns.
“We’re currently working with the Richland County commissioners, and hopefully the Huron County commissioners, as well, to close the funding gap, to get the construction put out to bid, so that construction can begin this summer,” she said.