By Alec Keller

The Ada Council held its first regular meeting of 2026, with all members present and Mayor Dave Retterer presiding, on Tuesday, January 6. The meeting packet is available on the Village website HERE.

Prior to the meeting, village solicitor Jane Napier swore in new council members Xander Wells and Lucas Rowe, as well as Jason Campbell and Sean Beck, who are starting their second terms in office.

2026 ORGANIZATION
Council President Jason Campbell reported on the organizational updates. He announced that Council approved the designation of Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24, 2026, as a village holiday. He noted that Council will continue to follow Robert’s Rules of Order and will continue to meet in chambers on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 6:30 p.m. 

The following committee chairs were announced:

• Finance - Jason Campbell
• Streets - Lucas Rowe
• Buildings & Grounds - Sean Beck
• Safety Services - Sheila Coressel
• Personnel - Linda Mason
• Utilities - Xander Wells

PUBLIC COMMENTS
Ada resident Kevin Wagner asked that during his five minutes of speaking, he not be interrupted and for Council to hold questions until the end. He expressed gratitude for the water consumption documents he received from Fiscal Officer Patty Navin. He said he was concerned about a lack of transparency from Council and hoped to receive the 2025 water reports he has requested.

Wagner said he had a concern regarding the flag inside Council chambers. He cited the U.S. Flag Code, stating that after sunset, flags must be properly illuminated. He said that the flag in the meeting room was not illuminated when not in use.

EMERGENCY SIRENS NEAR COMPLETION
Police Chief Alec Cooper reported that the tornado sirens will have electrical installed along with repairs to the streetlights on Grandview Boulevard on Jan.7. The final step is programming by Federal Electric, which will take a day to complete.

VILLAGE ADMINISTRATOR REPORT
The EPA mandates that the Village inspect every non-residential water connection on a regular basis. Village Administrator Amanda Sears said the Village is unable to complete this task, citing a lack of manpower, as only two people work at the water plant. Sears said the village is currently in violation of this mandate.

Sears informed Council that the solution is to find a company that can inspect the water connections and prepare inspection reports. The EPA requires 75 inspections in the Village in 2026.

Council made no formal decisions on the matter, but it reviewed Hydrocorp, a water safety and compliance company based in Troy, Michigan. A quote of $14,000 for a 12-month term of 94 inspections was presented. The second year is priced at $5,000 to perform 25 inspections.

Council agreed to table the decision for the next meeting on January 20 at 6:30 p.m.

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