City council hears funding requests, other information

One time additional homestead benefit

Submitted information

Ohio House Bill 479 provides additional property tax relief for homeowners receiving the Homestead Exemption. Eligible homeowners will receive a one-year, state-funded property tax reduction for tax year 2026 (payable in 2027). New homestead exemption applicants must apply by this Friday, October 30, to be eligible for this one-time benefit. Current homestead recipients do not need to apply, the benefit will be applied automatically. That date matters because the ordinary state application form still lists December 31 as the deadline for a current year real property application.

In other words, an eligible homeowner may still have time after October 30 to seek the regular exemption, but waiting could mean missing the one-time addition.

Who The Program Covers

The homestead exemption reduces property taxes on a qualifying owner’s principal residence. The ordinary means-tested exemption is available to an Ohio homeowner who owns and occupies the property as a principal residence and meets at least one of the following conditions:

• At least 65 years of age
• Certified as permanently and totally disabled
• Surviving spouse of a previous participant and at least 59 years old
• Disabled Veterans with a 100 percent service-related disability.
• Their surviving spouses.
• Surviving spouses of public service officers killed in the line of duty.

If you have any questions, contact the Van Wert County Auditor Real Estate office at 419.238.0843, Option 1.

Trick or treat events set for Saturday

VW independent staff

Halloween will bring a pair of trick-or-treat opportunties in Van Wert.

Between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. this Saturday, October 31, youngsters can go from business to business in downtown Van Wert for Main Street Van Wert’s annual trick or treat event. Later in the day, between 4-6 p.m. children can take part in the City of Van Wert’s annual trick-or-treat. Children should only go to homes with a porch light on.

Barn to move…

This barn on Stripe Rd. in Van Wert won’t come down as originally thought. Instead, QTS has agreed to pay to have it disassembled, power washed, stored, then reassembled at the Van Wert County Fairgrounds, once the foundation there is complete. Van Wert Area Economic Development Corporation Director Brent Stevens informed Van Wert City Council of the plan during Monday night’s meeting. Scott Truxell/Van Wert independent

Human trafficking awareness training

VW independent staff/submitted information

OhioHealth Van Wert Hospital and the YWCA of Van Wert County are partnering to offer a free human trafficking awareness training on Thursday, November 12.

The session, Human Trafficking 101, will take place from 5-6 p.m. at Van Wert North, 214 Towne Center Blvd. Health professionals, first responders and others who work with or serve the public are encouraged to attend.

Participants will learn how to identify risk factors, recognize potential warning signs of human trafficking and respond when someone may need help. Human trafficking can happen anywhere, including in local communities, and recognizing the signs can make a life-changing difference.

Nurses and first responders who attend will receive one hour of continuing education credit.

“Building awareness is an important part of keeping our community safe,” said Paula Stabler, president, OhioHealth Van Wert Hospital. “Through education and collaboration, we can help create a community where people feel better equipped to recognize when someone may need help and know how to take the next step.”

Registration is free but required. To register, email Stabler at Paula.Stabler@ohiohealth.com by Friday, November 6.

Anonymous donation…

An anonymous party recently donated $50,000 to VFW Van Wert Post 5803. Shown above is local attorney Shaun Putman handing the check to Commander Bob Agler and Quartermaster Ed Carter. Photo submitted

Study shows medical debt hits hard

By Susan Tebben/Ohio Capital Journal

Medical debt hit 1 in 4 Americans and 1 in 5 Ohioans last year, a new study shows, including those who have health insurance.

A recent study by the Urban Institute, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, showed that more than a quarter of American adults reported medical debt for them or someone in their family in 2025, and more than half of those who reported medical debt owed at least $1,000.

Of those who reported debt, 26 percent were adults with current health insurance.

“Health insurance does not shield people from rising healthcare costs and the crushing burden of medical debt,” Katherine Hempstead, senior policy officer for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation said in a press release announcing the study.

“Historic cost increases and coverage losses are forcing impossible tradeoffs between healthcare and other basic needs.”

The study found that for those with medical debt, 1 in 7 Americans have past-due medical bills or bills they couldn’t pay at all. Adults ages 45 to 54 represented the largest population with medical debt, but 17.6 percent of those in the study who were on Medicare also reported owing medical debt.

Researchers at the Health Policy Institute of Ohio have also been studying medical debt and the impact it can have on families, as well as overall health outcomes in the state.

“As expected, being uninsured is a major risk for experiencing medical debt,” HPIO researcher Brian O’Rourke told the Capital Journal. “However, recent data in Ohio suggests that this is not just a problem for our uninsured population.”

Citing the Ohio Medicaid Assessment Survey, O’Rourke said more than 1 in 5 Ohio adults were struggling to pay off medical bills in the last year.

While the data shows the highest population of people having trouble paying off medical debt are those who don’t have insurance, a quarter of Ohioans with private insurance were also struggling to pay.

Council hears annexation, zoning requests

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

The annexation and rezoning of nearly 850 acres of land into the City of Van Wert is a step closer to becoming official.

Monday night, Van Wert City Council heard the first of three readings of a pair of proposed ordinances that would annex approximately 684 acres of land in Ridge Township adjoining the Mega Site on the city’s north side, and approximately 156 acres of land in Pleasant Township that adjoins the Industrial Park area on the city’s south side. Two other ordinances would rezone both to I-2 General Industrial.

Prior to the meeting, a seven minute public hearing was held in Council Chambers on the annexation requests for both properties. The 684 acre site currently has 25 parcels owned by 20 people, while the 156 acre site is owned by Charles and Barbara Purmort.

Just one person had a question about the smaller site, while no one spoke on the larger site. However, local attorney Charles Koch, who represents the landowners and said while there’s no letter of intent or purhcase agreement for the 156 acre site, there is active interest. As far as the 684 acres, Koch said a letter of intent has been signed.

“I’m not at liberty to disclose who that was or what the purpose of that was,” he said. “There is not yet a purchase agreement in place either. I’m not privvy to who it is and I know there’s an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) on that so that information is not public yet.”

“Hopefully sooner than later it will be,” he added.

If all goes as expected, the annexation and rezoning requests will be approved on third and final reading during the November 23 council meeting.

Outside of the public hearing, Monday’s council meeting lasted exactly two hours and much of it centered around the $10 billion QTS data center. Van Wert Area Economic Development Executive Director Brent Stevens updated council on various aspects of the project. He said some site work is underawy and he said negotiations continue toward a proposed community benefits package.

“At a high level, the proposed community benefits agreement is intended to support the local schools, community priorities, infrastructure and long term investments in Van Wert,” Stevens said.

More details on the community benefits packages are expected in the coming weeks.

Peony pageant applications available

Submitted information

The Van Wert Peony Scholarship Pageant Committee has announced that the application window is open now until December 11. Potential candidates must be female members of the Class of 2027 at participating schools, or a home school student from within those districts. Participating schools include: Antwerp, Continental, Crestview, Delphos Jefferson, Delphos St. Johns, Fort Jennings, Lincolnview, Kalida, Ottoville, Parkway, Paulding, Van Wert, Wayne Trace and Vantage Career Center. 

One candidate will be selected from each school and will receive a minimum scholarship of $300. Total scholarships awarded total over $5,000.  

Applications are available from each school’s office or by emailing vanwertpeonypageant@hotmail.com. 

Gas prices spike, then slowly recede

VW independent staff/submitted information

So much for cheaper gasoline due to a suspension of Ohio’s gas tax. Pump prices locally and around Ohio have climbed above what they were before the state hit pause on the gas tax.

According to GasBuddy’s survey of nearly 5,500 stations in Ohio, average gasoline prices in Ohio have risen 36 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.40 per gallon on Monday. Prices in Ohio are 8.0 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand $1.49 per gallon higher than a year ago. Locally, gas prices rose to nearly $4.50 per gallon at most stations before falling slightly throughout the weekend.

What’s the reason for the latest increase?

“Average gasoline prices fell in a majority of states over the last week, though a fresh spike in the Great Lakes driven by a regional refinery issue nearly offset the broader decline, with that situation now beginning to clear up,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Ohio was priced at $3.42 per gallon on Sunday, while the most expensive was $5.69 per gallon, a difference of $2.27 per gallon.

The national average price of gasoline is unchanged  in the last week, averaging $4.24 per gallon on Monday. The national average is down 22.3 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands $1.24 per gallon higher than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country.
 
Historical gasoline prices in Ohio and the national average going back five years:

October 26, 2025: $2.91/g (U.S. Average: $3.00/g)
October 26, 2024: $2.82/g (U.S. Average: $3.10/g)
October 26, 2023: $3.19/g (U.S. Average: $3.50/g)
October 26, 2022: $3.62/g (U.S. Average: $3.76/g)
October 26, 2021: $3.19/g (U.S. Average: $3.38/g)

Dollar General being sued again

VW independent staff/submitted information

COLUMBUS — Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson and 19 other state attorneys general have joined the Federal Trade Commission in its lawsuit against Dollar General, alleging that the retailer has knowingly persisted in overcharging customers and willfully failed to fix its deceptive pricing.

“The prices on store shelves are what customers should be paying,” Wilson said. “Dollar General has allowed the overcharges to continue at the expense of the very people who keep its lights on.”

The lawsuit marks the second time in recent years that the Ohio Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has sued the retailer. The state sued Dollar General in November, 2022 after numerous consumers complained to the office that the retailer was advertising one price on its store shelves and charging a higher price at registers.

A year later, the AGO reached $1 million settlement with Dollar General that included specific steps for addressing the pricing discrepancies.

With overcharges continuing in Ohio and other states, the attorneys general joined the FTC’s lawsuit, which alleges that Dollar General has for years mislabeled prices, overcharged consumers, and failed to correct the problems despite company executives’ extensive knowledge of them.

According to the lawsuit, Dollar General:

• Has extracted millions of dollars in unlawful overcharges from customers at thousands of its stores by failing to correct the pricing issues.
• Has been the subject of tens of thousands of complaints from consumers nationwide who say the company did not honor its advertised prices, demonstrating widespread consumer harm and underscoring the retailer’s knowledge of the problem.

The FTC and states allege that these practices violate the FTC Act, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act.

Joining Ohio and the FTC in the lawsuit are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin.