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Mail sent from the Rockford post office to Rockford residents now goes to Columbus first, according to Mayor Ron Searight.
ROCKFORD - Rockford residents on Tuesday again heard an update on the mailing delays plaguing the village and other parts of the state.
Mayor Ron Searight said in his report during the regular council meeting that the village has experienced residents' water bills not being delivered on time, touching on a topic he has been addressing for a year.
"We sent them out on the first of the month," his report reads. "The Rockford Post Office used to sort them and send them out, but due to how the Postal Service setup is now, they're required to send them to Columbus to get credit for the mailings. This delay is part of the reason we're seeing late postal service. This has cost Rockford residents in other areas of mailings as payments have also been late due to getting lost going to Columbus."
While national reports about delays in U.S. Postal Service mail delivery date back at least to cost-cutting measures taken in 2020, the USPS did implement changes in 2025 that were expected to slow delivery in some rural areas.
Searight previously said he had been in communication with U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, R-Bowling Green; former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown; and Vice President JD Vance about mailing delays.
Searight said after the meeting some mail spills out of a sorting machine drum.
"What's happening is they got like a tumbler … and some of those bills spill out of the tumbler," he said. "Latta goes, 'How often do you pick those up?' 'Oh, whenever.'"
"What they're saying is, they're (the United States Postal Service) tracking (mail) volume from everyone. If there's a post office and it's not creating enough volume in the area, they'd like to close it."
According to Searight, the postmaster general told Latta that it is increasing mail service to the city and reducing service to rural areas. Latta, according to Searight, said, "That isn't good. You need to change that." The postmaster general said operations will continue until he sees enough evidence otherwise.
If a resident notices a piece of mail is late, they should scan the barcode on the envelope and take it to the village hall where the village will send the envelopes to legislators, who are trying to generate enough demand from disgruntled customers to get the postal service to change the way they're operating, Searight said.
The change, ideally, would be to have the postal office in the village handle the mail, instead of sending it to Columbus, Searight said.
To ensure continued coverage, Rockford residents are encouraged to deliver their bill directly to the village office.
He said after Tuesday night's council meeting he is planning to contact U.S. Rep Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, as he is Mercer County's new congressman.
As a result of the adoption of a congressional district plan by the Ohio Redistricting Commission on Oct. 31, Mercer and Van Wert counties were moved from the 5th District, currently represented by Latta, to the 4th District. The map takes effect this year.
Searight said he is still in communication with Latta because of the shared history.
To ensure water service continues, residents must pay their bill by the end of month.
In other business, councilors discussed a preliminary letter of intent for a power purchase agreement between a solar company and the village to purchase electric generated from panels installed on select buildings.
The letter outlines terms between HSI Solar LLC and the village in which the village will buy electricity generated from panels that will be installed at the water treatment plant on South Franklin St., the village hall at 151. E. Columbia St., the wastewater plant at 4090 State Route 117 and the community building at 420 N. Holly Drive.
The village, under the letter of the intent, will purchase the power at $0.072 per kilowatt-hour with an annual increase of 2.5%.
As a result of the agreements, HSI Solar will retain ownership of all renewable energy credits.
Searight noted the village hasn't decided anything and the discussion is tentative. The move would theoretically "cut the cost of our electric usage," he said.
Councilors also decided to update the attached garage clause in the Shanes Crossing subdivision covenants if there is a 75% consensus from the homes within the first phase.
The clause now states that all single-family residences must have an attached garage with a minimum dimension of 24-feet-by-24-feet. The change would require the minimum dimension to be 21.5-feet-by-23-feet.
There are seven homes within the first phase, and if five homes agree to the change, the village would grant that change.
Council also:
• witnessed the swearing in of councilors Marcas Heitkamp, Chris Heitkamp and Shane Young. Mark Heitkamp took his oath of office Friday becasue he was absent from the meeting.
• approved a motion to appoint Marcas Heitkamp as council president.
Council meets next at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 20 in the village hall.
