Summary of August 8 Council Meeting
By Andy Chappell-Dick
Public complete streets workshop, August 12 / Celebration for Officer Lonny Kent, August 27
On Monday, Agust 8, Village of Bluffton council members were presented with a very light agenda on the dog-days of summer meeting. There were no committee reports or legislative action on the table.
ADMINISTRATION
Village administrator Jesse Blackburn reported on progress of two special committees. The Complete Streets Task Force culminates their work this Friday, August 12 with a full-day workshop, open to the public, to distill their surveys and findings into a policy to guide how the Village builds streets to accommodate more varied forms of getting around.
The Comrehensive Plan Steering Committee will meet later this month to consider over 600 responses to the Bluffton Beyond Tomorrow survey. A public input forum will be held soon.
Bryan Lloyd, Assistant Administrator, reported that the public works department continues sleuthing for water leaks throughout the Village's main and meters. Engineers have been brought in with their high-tech talents to locate some significant leak points that remain elusive.
SAFETY SERVICES
In reports from Safety Services, Fire Chief Jon Kinn and Police Chief Ryan Burkholder both thanked Council and the broader community for all the help and sponsorships that made last week's National Night Out a great success. Ricki Francis, widow of Dominic Francis, pressed the button to start the fireworks show. She and many Bluffton first responders signed their names on the first three shells that went up: blue for police, red for fire, and white for EMS.
The public is invited to celebrate the career of Lonny Kent, retiring from the police department this month, with a drop-in time at Buckeye Park on August 27 from 3-6 p.m.
The meeting packet is attached including the August 8 voucher report and minutes of the July 25 council meeting.
Stories Posted This Week
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
- Bluffton alumni will discuss pathways to chaplaincy
- Beaverdam cleanup day is Sept. 12
- Pirate boys golf 3rd at NWC quad
- Pirate volleyball outlasts Wayne Trace
- Pirate girls soccer blanks Crestview
- Pirate boys soccer tie vs. Kalida
- Letter: The future of American agriculture
- Maple Grove Cemetery records now online
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
- Bluffton Historical meets Sept. 9 at the 1899 Depot
- Jerry L. Blosser worked for DTR Industries
- September 8 Bluffton High School athletics lineup, streaming
- Bluffton Schools cancelled on September 8, cleanup for biodigester malfunction underway
- July 2026 Bluffton Police Dept. activity report
- Hillville Rd. closure on Sept. 8-9
- Lions and friends will count pathway users in September
- Bluffton Ohio Historical Society takes part in Ohio Open Doors, Sept. 12