WATERVILLE TOWNSHIP – When Waterville Township trustees learned during their July meeting that Police Chief Kevin Smith plans to retire effective Nov. 1, they decided in executive session to begin a search for a new chief.
But during the trustees’ Aug. 26 meeting, several officers urged them to instead consider promoting Lt. Marty Przbysz (pronounced shibish) to the position.
“I’m here to throw my lot behind Marty as the new chief. He’s dedicated more than half his life to law enforcement and public safety. He knows the policies and procedures. He could seamlessly take over Kevin’s spot,” said Diana Trevino, a retired Toledo Police detective who Przbysz recruited to join the township. “I think it would be a better transition. He doesn’t need to be trained. And he’s very dedicated and committed to the safety of the officers and the safety of the public.”
Officers Jim Schlievert, David Terry, James Waltimire and Gregory Westrick also shared their appreciation for Smith and Przbysz.
“I want to express my gratitude for Kevin’s leadership and commitment to the department and to the residents we serve – that’s a big thing he pushes on the officers, that it’s about the residents and how we treat them,” Terry said. “Lt. Marty stands behind the officers. Anytime we have a situation arise, it doesn’t matter what time of day or night, he calls us back. We are never outside of the loop.”
Waltimire noted that Przbysz knows the department and the officers well, along with the policies and procedures.
“I think if you go outside the department, that causes chaos, because you don’t know who you are bringing in, if they are going to match together, and if they are going to be a team leader,” Waltimire said. “Marty’s in place, he knows what’s going on, and he knows how to do his job.”
The officers pointed out that the department had a high turnover rate before Smith arrived, and said Przbysz has recruited more experienced officers who arrive with specialized training, including grant writing, accident reconstruction, detective work and crisis intervention. Having well-trained, experienced officers also means the township is less likely to be involved in litigation, Schlievert said.
“I am asking you to consider that a good candidate is already in place, so no search is necessary – no time, no money, no effort, and that candidate already works for you,” Schlievert said.
After hearing the officers, Trustee Julie Theroux said she would like to revisit the conversation about doing a search.
“It’s my opinion that 100 percent of the officers are supportive. That says we have the right person. We don’t have to do a search,” Theroux said. “I’m all in favor of not going through that: the interview process, the time, the money, the posting. We could have someone in place who could take that position seamlessly.”
While Trustees Kyle Hertzfeld and Toby Miller agreed, they said they would first like to meet and speak with Przbysz in the next few weeks.
The trustees then approved a motion recognizing Smith for his service and to wish him well. Smith was hired as chief in August 2023 after 27 years as a sergeant with Toledo Police Department (TPD). Przbysz was hired a few weeks after Smith, and worked for TPD for 28 years.
During the meeting, the board also:
-Discussed two upcoming Zoning Commission meetings: on Monday, Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. to hear about proposed changes to the zoning language that would allow electronic billboards along U.S. 24; and on Monday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. to review proposed changes to language governing data centers and other campus-style developments. Both will be held at Waterville First Presbyterian Church, 611 Farnsworth Rd.
-Agreed to Fiscal Officer Jeanne Taylor‘s request to hire Eric Walker, of Quality Computer Services, at a rate of $75 an hour for up to 20 hours, for ongoing maintenance and IT support services.
-Learned that the police department responded to 88 calls for service last month, including assisting Waterville, Whitehouse and the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office, plus making 50 house checks at three locations and 837 business checks at 11 locations.
-Discussed how to handle residents’ concerns about lighting originating from Dutch Road Storage. Miller suggested that Fischer talk to the owners about finding a way to mitigate the issue before spending township money to hire someone to measure several aspects of lighting listed in the zoning resolution.
-Discussed issues with Spectrum installers cutting into Noward Road and leaving residents’ yards with holes, ruts and rocks after laying new fiberoptic cable. The Lucas County Engineer issued a stop work order, but the installers were out late at night trying to fix the issue – but made it worse. The company has a month to return all of the properties to the state it was prior to their work.
-Agreed that trail cameras and “no dumping” signs need to be posted on Moosman, Kay and Fischer drives – all dead-end cul-de-sacs where dumping has been an issue recently.
-Listened to Monclova Township resident Lyn Cox ask questions about the changes to the M-3 zoning resolution proposed for regulating data centers and other large developments. She also asked to see a copy of those proposed changes prior to the meeting.
-Approved, in public hearing before the meeting, lighting districts for Village on the Green plats 1, 2 and 3 and Coventry Glen plats 5 and 6. The cost for street lights is put on the property taxes for each parcel.
