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Record of Proceedings

Vandalia City Council Organizational Meeting – January 5, 2026

City Council — Monday, January 5, 2026
BodyVandalia, Ohio
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, January 5, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 14:57

Original source
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0:01

All right, six o'clock.

0:02

So we'll begin the Monday, January 5th uh organizational meeting for the City of Andalia.

0:08

We'll begin with a moment of reflection, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

0:16

Please stand for the pledge.

0:21

I pledge obligations to the United States of America Republic or which it stands on my nation under God with liberty and justice for all of all.

0:38

All right, the first item on the agenda tonight is the oath of office for our newly elected council members, and we're going to begin this evening with uh Montgomery County Commissioner Judy Jodge, where she will administer the oath of office to uh council member Emily Bradford.

0:53

So we'll begin with that.

0:55

And I'd also like to ask uh councilman Ford and Hathaway to join me down at the podium.

1:19

Thank you.

1:20

At least I have that.

1:23

Okay.

1:23

Yep.

1:24

I've done it.

1:26

Every now and then.

1:28

Whoa.

1:34

Before we start, I have to tell everybody a little bit about Emily.

1:38

Emily, when you came to meet and worked for the county recorder, Tyler was what?

1:45

Ten months old, and look at him now.

1:47

He's gonna be a doctor.

1:50

And then I became commissioner, and you came up with me as my assistant.

1:54

I couldn't be more pleased, and then a couple years ago, you got to be the Montgomery County Clerk of the Commission.

2:01

Through all this, she also went ahead and got her colleague's degree, so her business degree.

2:06

So Emily, I'm so proud of you.

2:10

Congratulations.

2:11

Okay.

2:12

Raise your right hand and repeat after me.

2:15

And I see your handsome family is right behind you.

2:19

I state your name.

2:21

I Emily Bradford solemnly swear.

2:24

Solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution.

2:28

The Constitution and will obey the laws of the United States.

2:32

And we'll obey the laws of the United States.

2:35

And the state of Ohio.

2:36

And the state of Ohio.

2:38

That I will, in all respects.

2:40

That I will in all respects observe the provisions of the charter.

2:44

Observe the provisions of the charter.

2:46

And ordinances of the City of Vandalia.

2:51

And faithfully discharge the duties of the Office of Council Member.

2:57

The duties of the Office of Council Member.

2:59

Is there another page to this or am I done?

3:02

Okay, good.

3:03

Congratulations.

3:14

All right.

3:14

Rick, if you can have your family come up.

3:18

I'll have your private update.

3:42

Hi, I'm Mayor Richard Herbst.

3:44

All right.

3:45

All right, raise your right hand and repeat after me.

3:48

I state your name.

3:50

I written.

3:51

Solemnly swear.

3:52

Solemnly swear.

3:53

That I will support the Constitution.

3:54

That I will support the Constitution.

3:56

And will obey the laws of the United States.

4:00

And the State of Ohio.

4:02

That I will, in all respects, observe the provisions of the Charter.

4:07

Observe the provisions of the Charter.

4:09

And the ordinances of the City of Andalia.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████75%
Parks and Recreation████████14%
Personnel Matters███████11%
Summary of Proceedings

Vandalia City Council Organizational Meeting – January 5, 2026

The Vandalia City Council held its biennial organizational meeting on Monday, January 5, 2026, at 6:00 PM, with Mayor Richard Herbst presiding. The council administered oaths to newly elected members, elected a vice mayor, made committee appointments, and adopted a two-year meeting schedule. All formal votes passed 7-0.

Oaths of Office

  • Montgomery County Commissioner Judy Jodge administered the oath of office to newly elected Councilmembers Emily Bradford, Rick Ford, and Aaron Hathaway. Commissioner Jodge noted Bradford’s previous service in county offices.
  • After his election, Corey Follick was sworn in as Vice Mayor by Mayor Herbst.

Vice-Mayor Election

  • Councilmember Bradford moved to nominate Corey Follick for Vice Mayor, seconded by Councilmember Dugan.
  • Another council member indicated an intent to self-nominate. The mayor explained that the first motion would be voted on first, and it passed 7-0, making the second nomination moot.

Committee Appointments

  • Parks and Recreation Advisory Board: Vice Mayor Follick moved and Councilmember Dugan seconded the appointment of Councilmember Hathaway. Passed 7-0.
  • Vandalia Arts Council: Councilmember Bradford moved and Vice Mayor Follick seconded the appointment of Councilmember Dugan, who had accepted the nomination during the December 15 study session. Passed 7-0.

Meeting Schedule

  • Vice Mayor Follick moved, seconded by Councilmember Hathaway, to confirm council meetings on the first and third Monday at 7:00 PM, with summer session meetings on the third Monday in June, July, and August at 5:30 PM, and other times set in advance by council. Passed 7-0.

Council Comments

  • Members offered congratulations, thanks, and welcomes. Councilmember Ford thanked supporters and pledged to uphold their trust; Councilmember Hathaway thanked family and friends and looked forward to a productive 2026; Councilmember Bradford expressed gratitude to family, friends, and city staff; Councilmember Weaver was excited for the new year; Councilmember Dugan welcomed the new members; and Vice Mayor Follick and Mayor Herbst looked forward to working with the new council.

Key Outcomes

  • Newly elected Councilmembers Bradford, Ford, and Hathaway were seated.
  • Corey Follick was elected Vice Mayor by a 7-0 vote.
  • Councilmember Hathaway was appointed to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board; Councilmember Dugan was appointed to the Vandalia Arts Council; both approved 7-0.
  • The two-year regular meeting schedule was adopted 7-0.
  • The meeting adjourned, and the regular study session began at 6:20 PM.

Meeting Transcript

All right, six o'clock. So we'll begin the Monday, January 5th uh organizational meeting for the City of Andalia. We'll begin with a moment of reflection, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. Please stand for the pledge. I pledge obligations to the United States of America Republic or which it stands on my nation under God with liberty and justice for all of all. All right, the first item on the agenda tonight is the oath of office for our newly elected council members, and we're going to begin this evening with uh Montgomery County Commissioner Judy Jodge, where she will administer the oath of office to uh council member Emily Bradford. So we'll begin with that. And I'd also like to ask uh councilman Ford and Hathaway to join me down at the podium. Thank you. At least I have that. Okay. Yep. I've done it. Every now and then. Whoa. Before we start, I have to tell everybody a little bit about Emily. Emily, when you came to meet and worked for the county recorder, Tyler was what? Ten months old, and look at him now. He's gonna be a doctor. And then I became commissioner, and you came up with me as my assistant. I couldn't be more pleased, and then a couple years ago, you got to be the Montgomery County Clerk of the Commission. Through all this, she also went ahead and got her colleague's degree, so her business degree. So Emily, I'm so proud of you. Congratulations. Okay. Raise your right hand and repeat after me. And I see your handsome family is right behind you. I state your name. I Emily Bradford solemnly swear. Solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution. The Constitution and will obey the laws of the United States. And we'll obey the laws of the United States. And the state of Ohio. And the state of Ohio. That I will, in all respects. That I will in all respects observe the provisions of the charter. Observe the provisions of the charter. And ordinances of the City of Vandalia. And faithfully discharge the duties of the Office of Council Member. The duties of the Office of Council Member. Is there another page to this or am I done? Okay, good. Congratulations. All right. Rick, if you can have your family come up. I'll have your private update. Hi, I'm Mayor Richard Herbst. All right. All right, raise your right hand and repeat after me. I state your name.

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