LOUDONVILLE — Mayor Jason Van Sickle highlighted Loudonville’s 2025 accomplishments and the planned projects for 2026 in his State of the Village address on Tuesday evening.
Van Sickle first spoke about village finances: Loudonville ended the year with $4.9 million in total unencumbered funds, marking a 17-percent increase from 2024. The general fund also saw an unencumbered balance of $1.1 million.
“The village continues to manage its finances responsibly with 2025 expenditures, 14 percent under budgeted appropriations,” Van Sickle said.
He also thanked the fire and police departments for their work in 2025, which resulted in:
- Police responding to 2,100 calls for services, making 61 arrests, investigating 34 traffic accidents, issuing 76 parking tickets, issuing 214 traffic citations with 13 OVI offenses.
- Firefighter and EMS responding to 998 calls for services — a 16-percent increase from 2024 — most of which were EMS-related, spending 2,495 hours on emergency calls and 1,548 hours on initial and continued education.
- The fire department also received $103,000 in grants for radio system upgrades, which were completed in 2025, and purchased a ladder truck upgrade, which will be put into service later this year.
- The Ohio Theatre, which is managed by the village, saw more than 15,000 patrons, welcomed 96 students to the summer camp program and introduced a new musical. The musical, A Christmas Carol: An Arts Alive Musical, resulted in the largest single weekend of the year, generating more than $32,000 in ticket sales, concessions and donations. The theater also installed a new sound board through grant funding.
- The village spend $400,000 in village funds to make improvements to streets and alleys.
- The village began planning for construction of the new combined municipal building and police station.
Looking to 2026, Van Sickle said the village has allocated $310,000 to make additional street repairs.
Council also submitted a grant application for an Ohio Department of Transportation grant, which if rewarded to the village, will provide up to $2 million in funding for new sidewalks, a bike lane, new lighting and cross walk safety features on Main Street.
He also shared the village plans to make repairs and additions to Riverside Park and the public pool complex.
“As mayor, be assured, I will continue to do my best work for what is in the best interest of our residents, businesses and community,” Van Sickle said. “I am always available to hear and talk about any concerns and suggestions you have for me.”
Other business at council
After the address, council approved the 2026 appropriations, which total over $8.3 million, and designate money to be set aside in specific fund accounts, such as the general fund, police fund, income tax fund and others.
Council also approved two ordinances allowing for the village administrator to enter into contracts for engineering services on the North Spring Street for the upcoming water and sewer project and on North Union Street sidewalks for the installation of sidewalks.
Council also approved adding the 1.7-mill renewal tax levy on the May 5 ballot. The levy covers a five year period and was last approved by voters at the Nov. 3 2020 election.
Under new business, council approved a number of park usage and other requests for 2026 events, which include:
- Loudonville Lions Club’s Easter egg hunt in Central Park on April 4.
- Loudonville Lions Club’s chicken barbecue and car show in Central Park on July 4.
- Loudonville School Foundation’s high school senior project, which will be a kids’ carnival, in Central Park from April 24-25, with the following weekend listed as a back up option.
- Rape Crisis Domestic Violence Safe Haven of Ashland’s clothes line project for sexual assault awareness in Central Park from April 20 to 30.
- Loudonville Farmer’s Market in the northeast quadrant of Central Park on all Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. from May 30 to Sept. 26, with the exception of July 4. The request includes a reoccurring closure of North Market Street for the same days and times.
Kenny Libben, curator at the Cleo Redd Fisher Museum, also requested the closure of the first blocks of North and South Water Streets from Dec. 3 to 14 for the 2026 Mohican Christkindlmarkt.
Libben asked the village to consider installing electrical drop boxes on those streets for usage for events, including the market.
He said downtown events always have issues with electrical access, and he and other event organizers would be willing to pay for the electric usage.
Council members said they would look into the matter more.