WATERVILLE – Waterville City Council approved hiring a new law director and discussed the Roche de Boeuf Interurban Bridge. Waterville Township agreed to form a Data Center Advisory Committee, discussed an annexation request and heard about a state law change prompted by the township police. Below is a synopsis of meetings held the fourth week of January in the Anthony Wayne area.
Austin Klapp Named Waterville Law Director
Protecting Waterville and its citizens is top priority for the city’s new law director.
“I will do the best job I can to make sure Waterville is following the law…and that I’m protecting the city as much as I can,” said Austin Klapp, who was named law director during the Jan. 26 Waterville City Council meeting. “I intend to utilize all resources as possible in order to ensure the best possible guidance for the city of Waterville.”
Council voted 6-0, with Wayne Wagner abstaining, to appoint Klapp to the position he’s filled since Kati Tharp resigned in November. Prior to Tharp, Phil Dombey served as law director for 18 years.
A Toledo native, Klapp graduated from St. Francis de Sales and the University of Toledo Law School, then headed to Texas, where he practiced for three years. Upon returning home, he acquired his Ohio license and worked in family, collection and criminal areas of law. Along the way, he married Rose, raised five children and ran marathons. But he also was in need of a kidney transplant. After the second one failed, he was on dialysis for 12 years as he waited for a third try.
“I was lucky and blessed enough to get one in 2016. And I’ve been back in practice since 2017. The whole reason I went to law school was to have my own practice and I’ve been able to build a successful solo practice,” said Klapp, who is designated counsel with Ty Mahaffey and Associates of Sylvania, and has worked with John Spore, Dombey and Tharp.
“This is a very unique area of practice – there are only a few people in town that really know municipal law. I am tapping all of the resources, including our old law directors, who are very good friends, as well as other individuals around northwest Ohio that practice municipal law,” Klapp said. “I learned that, in law, the worst mistake you can make is believing that you have all the information and making the decision without getting different voices and doing the research, going through those resources and just being thorough and prepared.”
Klapp has served as the city’s prosecutor, and that’s a role he will continue to hold in addition to being law director. This allows him to see issues that could affect the city financially or legally, even if it has nothing to do with whether someone has been convicted of a crime.
“I will be moving forward with addressing issues that we feel are important for the safety of all citizens,” he said.
During the meeting, council also:
-Listened to Dave Weber of the Save the Bridge Association urge Council to write a letter in support of efforts to save the Roche de Boeuf Interurban Bridge, which was granted a one-year reprieve from demolition by the state nearly a year ago. That year was for Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to investigate alternatives, but Weber said they failed to investigate mothballing the bridge and keeping it safe, or doing a rehabbed for use as a bike trail. He said the city could take over administration of the state historic site and get reimbursed by the federal government. Mayor Tim Pedro said a professional engineer would need to substantiate some of he estimates Weber provided. ODOT is doing everything they legally need to do and are helping the city, Pedro said, adding that the state is seeking an owner for the bridge.
-Heard that elected officials from Waterville, Waterville Township and Whitehouse will meet in a joint session of the Fallen Timbers Union Cemetery District on Monday, Feb. 9 at 6 p.m. to appoint a cemetery board trustee for both the township and the city.
-Heard that the city ended the year with a $12.2 million balance. Treasurer Steve Schult also announced that the state released its findings from the 2024 audit. Available on the state auditor’s website, the audit is clean with no deficiencies or material weaknesses and no management letter comments.
-Discussed the option of putting up cameras in the downtown area and along S.R. 64 near the Kroger and future Meijer store.
-Heard Fire Chief Doug Meyer ask residents to clear three feet around fire hydrants so emergency personnel can easily locate them in the event of a fire.
-Discussed the list of street lights that are out or in need of repair. A master list shows 118 awaiting work by Toledo Edison.
-Heard that the city is looking for someone to work as a part-time zoning inspector, but also to work on other projects for the administration, including website updates, social media and events during slower times, such as during the winter.
Waterville Township
Waterville Township trustees covered everything from annexation and data centers to police officer pay during their Jan. 28 meeting.
Data Center Advisory Committee
After approving a 12-month moratorium on issuing permits for data centers in December, Waterville Township trustees voted to establish a Data Center Advisory Committee comprised of one member from the Board of Trustees, Zoning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals, along with eight to 10 community members.
Those who volunteer need to be willing to dig in and do research on the impacts of data centers and how the township might best prepare for one, Trustee Toby Miller said during the Jan. 28 trustees meeting.
“We want to get detailed ideas on what to put in place from an environmental and zoning perspective,” Miller said. “I don’t think we have the legal authority to ban them outright, but we can absolutely put in place all the things we feel are requirements to consider. We want the citizens to get everything of concern out on the table and creatively think of what we can reasonably do within our authority.”
Among the concerns are environmental impacts, noise, lighting, use of water.
“All of those things should be taken into consideration and incorporated into our zoning book. We can make it as prohibitive as we can – indicating that the community doesn’t want these things here – but not so prohibitive that it gets knocked down in the courts,” he added.
Anyone interested in serving on the committee should contact the trustees.
Annexation
The township received word that two property owners have petitioned to be annexed into the village of Whitehouse. One is a two-acre parcel at 7010 Finzel Rd., purchased in February 2025 by RF Asset LLC, represented by Josh Doyle. A home on the property was razed in 2018 and two outbuildings remain. The second request is from Amanda and Travis Ratcliff, whose home is on 2.18 acres at 11032 Winslow Rd. at the northeast corner of Whitehouse-Spencer Rd.
The property owners petitioned the village to annex, and the Lucas County Commissioners reviewed that request and approved it. Whitehouse Village Council had until Thursday, Feb. 5 to approve the annexation, according to village law director Kevin Heban.
“These parcels are actually not allowed for annexation per our annexation agreement,” said Miller, referring to a red-lined area on a map. He has noted the township’s objection to the annexation with the village, which met on Tuesday, Feb. 3.
While Miller said he’s had conversations with village representatives and believes they want to be amicable and work together, he believes that’s only temporary.
“I think we need to talk to council. I think we do have to formally stop the process with either a legal notice or an injunction,” Miller said.
“I already made our law firm aware of the situation,” said Theroux.
Walden Subdivision
The Lucas County Commissioners have approved two requests by developer Mark Rich to rezone 52 acres of land that spans Monclova and Waterville townships to build the 104-home Walden subdivision. During its December meeting, Waterville Township approved the rezoning with the condition that Monclova would agree to help pay for road maintenance – as the access point is Jewel Crest Lane in the Coventry Glen subdivision in Waterville Township.
But after speaking to Monclova’s solicitor, Dawn Sanderson, Lucas County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney John Borell, and Rich’s engineer, Greg Feller, Miller recommended removing that condition.
“The understanding a lot of people had was that the only entrance or egress to this parcel was through Coventry Glen. That is not the case. There is access from Stitt,” he said, referring to a connection from Crimson Hollow in the north, via a circuitous route through the Monclova Township subdivision.
All traffic would drive on Jewel Crest Lane, which is in Waterville Township, to access Walden, but Jewel Crest is a short stub street with room for just a few houses, he said.
Miller added that the township has a similar situation with Telluride, which has areas that are only accessible through Crimson Hollow o the north.
“The residents’ concern was the construction equipment moving in and out of their neighborhood,” Julie Theroux said, referring to comments about wear and tear and mud on the roads – and a petition signed by dozens of Coventry Glen neighbors who were opposed to the development.
Feller and developer Mark Rich agreed that the contractor could be instructed to have truck traffic come from the north and the south.
“As long as we work together to make sure we have minimal impact on the existing neighborhood,” Theroux added.
Trustees voted 3-0 to remove the restriction from the original motion to change the zoning.
Township prompts change in police training requirements
Every police department is struggling to find police officers, and the township – among the lowest-paying departments in the county – faces that same challenge, said Chief Kevin Smith. But over the past few years, Smith and Lt. Marty Przybysz – both Toledo Police Department retirees – have found success in attracting experienced officers, many also from TPD.
One challenge Smith and Przybysz have found is the state’s training requirements for those who have had a break in service, either from retirement or a change in career. And with the township’s lower call volume, fully completing the field training criteria can be difficult.
“That’s why we don’t hire brand new people or people who we need to put through an academy. We stick with experienced people who specialize in certain areas,” Przybysz said, noting that their full-time staff includes officers with years of experience in detective work and accident reconstruction, for example.
When retired TPD Detective Diana Trevino wanted to join the department, Przybysz submitted details about her previous training and education to State Rep. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania), who worked to change the training requirements.
The new law eliminates the requirement to attend a basic academy due solely to a break in service for those who were previously certified by the Ohio Police Officers Training Academy (OPOTA). It also requires a 40-hour refresher training for those who have had a break in service of 1-4 years and an 80-hour refresher training for those with a break of four or more years. OPOTA is developing refresher curriculum that will serve as advanced training designed to get officers back in the field efficiently, according to a memo from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost to Ohio school commanders, sheriffs and chiefs of police. High demand for these courses is expected.
“It was a great move for Ohio,” said Przbysz.
The township has five full-time officers and some part-time officers who haven’t received a pay raise in three years, Theroux said. While the levy that passed in November 2025 won’t bring in funds until 2027, she consulted with Fiscal Officer Jeanne Taylor and determined that the General Fund could absorb that increase.
The trustees voted to give full-time officers a $2.00 an hour raise, with a cap of $32.00 an hour, and part-time officers a 50-cent-an-hour raise beginning on their anniversary date.
Billboard Signs
To discourage large signs in the township, the zoning book currently recommends a $10,000 nonrefundable fee to request a variance to erect a billboard sign. The owners of Dutch Road Self Storage are interested in erecting a 400-square-foot electronic billboard sign with messages on both sides to be placed on adjacent property that faces U.S. 24. – but they aren’t sure they want to “roll the dice” in asking for a variance from the Board of Zoning Appeals, Miller said. That $10,000 fee is collected whether the decision is yes or now.
Trustees want the Zoning Commission to look at the current language and update it, and the fee, to reflect the changes in the township.
“The issue is that the current zoning regulations related to signage of this this type were pre-24,” Miller said, referring to the U.S. 24 bypass that was completed in 2012.
In addition to promoting the self storage facility, the sign could be used to share township messages – such as road closures and safety notifications – at no charge or be leased by others for appropriate messages. The message would change every eight seconds.
“This needs to be looked at from a zoning perspective,” Theroux said.
Zoning Inspector Jim Fischer agreed, noting that a U.S. 24 overlay district might also be appropriate.
During the meeting, the trustees also:
-Noted that it is now responsible for the maintenance of 13.165 miles of roadway, up from 12.62 miles last year.
-Discussed the need to recruit a resident or business owner to serve on the joint economic development district (JEDD) that the township has with Whitehouse.
