Millersburg Council rejects marijuana dispensary

Millersburg Village Council met Monday, Jan. 26 and discussed the following:

—The design and review board will meet Feb. 4 to review a COA from The Mouse House on South Clay Street.

—The village met with Spicer Group, the county and ORDC to review preliminary plans for the Downtown Sidewalk Project. A few minor tweaks will be made to the plans with the goal of having a meeting with HDM and merchants in late February/early March to allow them time for plan review and comments. On the funding side, the village was informed $10,930 from GOA would hold all other funding up and delay the bid/start dates, so Village Administrator Nate Troyer instructed them to proceed without this funding.

—The electric pole order for Airport Park has been sent to production. Installation will be in the spring.

—There are two more interviews for the housing study, and Envision is working on data collection, processing, et cetera.

—Signal Service has been in town working on the installation of the cameras and wiring for the smart traffic lights in downtown. Pathmaster will come to do its portion of the install, and then the village can discuss the startup schedule.

—A representative from Aspen Energy will come to the Feb. 9 council meeting to discuss the current rate, market, trends and timing for the village's next electrical aggregation contract.

—Council made a motion to hire Nathaniel Meek as a full-time patrolman.

—Based on her outstanding performance and consistent professionalism, council agreed to remove Jessica Kiner from probation.

—The YMCA Daycare at NewPoint Church will begin in March. This is for children age 6 weeks to kindergarten, and the hours will be 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

—Following public comment from six individuals, council voted on the proposed marijuana dispensary, which was denied by a 4–2 vote.

—Council discussed its goals for 2026, and they are as follows:

—Brent Hofstetter would like to see the sidewalk at the curve on North Clay Street moved back further or a barrier put in the way to allow for safety. He also would like to see two more pickleball courts go in at Airport Park.

—Bob Shoemaker is excited about the 250th anniversary of America and said he would like to see a parade in Millersburg July 4 and fireworks. He also would like to see more housing being built in Millersburg.

—Tom Vaughn said his goal is to honor the will of the voters and to continue representing the interests of the community rather than pursuing personal objectives. He also would like to help direct the development of the school property.

—Andrea Kellogg shared her interest in enhancing the quality of the ball fields and said Kelly Camacho is helping explore possible ideas. One long-term option discussed was the possibility of turf.

—Ryan Hershberger expressed interest in engaging with downtown business owners. He also suggested having elected officials present at events to encourage vendors to return.

—Andy Zollars would like to see solar-powered radar speed signs in town. He would like to add reflective chevrons to the street/utility vehicles, as well as updated logos for those vehicles. He would like to see side-by-sides approved in town, with inspections and permit stickers. He also would like to see if there are any businesses or residential homes that may be interested in annexing into town.

—Mayor Kelly Hoffee added a couple of goals to the list: First, as phase one of the Downtown Sidewalk Project is completed this year, she would like to see engineering for phase two initiated to maintain the project’s momentum and possibly have completion of the entire downtown sidewalks next year. Second, she would like to explore additional grant opportunities that may be available to support projects that would benefit the village.