Village of Rockford
LOCATION:
Intersection of US Route 33
and
State Route 118
Latitude: N 40.69
Longitude: W 84.65
Elevation: 813 above sea level
STATUTORY GOVERNMENT:
Council/Administrator
Meetings: lst and 3rd Tuesday of each Month at 7:30 p.m. in Village Hall
County Planning Ordinance: Yes Village Zoning Ordinance: Yes

NEARBY METROPOLITAN CITIES:
Lima – 49 Minutes
Ft. Wayne, IN – 62 Minutes
Dayton – 83 Minutes
Toledo – 109 Minutes
Columbus – 134 Minutes
Chicago, IL – 234 Minutes
ELECTED OFFICIALS:
Ron Searight, Mayor
Marcas Heitkamp
Mark Heitkamp
Chris Heitkamp
Luke Stephenson
Mary Beougher
Shane Young
NEAREST CITIES:
Celina, OH – 16 Minutes
Van Wert, OH – 23 Minutes
St. Marys, OH – 22 Minutes
Decatur, IN – 23 Minutes
CLIMATE:
Average Annual Temperature: 51.5
Average Annual Snowfall: 27.3 in Average Annual Precipitation: 39.6 in
ORGANIZATIONS:
Lions Club • 21st Century Club •
Eagles • American Legion •
Rockford Recreation Assoc.
DEMOGRAPHICS:
2020 Census: 1,051
Homeowners: 75.9%
Literacy: 99%
MISCELLANEOUS:
Public Library: Rockford Carnegie Library
Churches: 3 Protestant, 1 Catholic Museums: Shanes Crossing Historical Society
Chamber of Commerce: Rockford Chamber of Commerce 75 members Economic Development Resources: Rockford Area Development Corp Mercer Co. Comm. Development Community Foundation:
Leota Braun Charitable Foundation
Fire Insurance Class: Village: 6
Community Services
RECREATION:
Parks – 2
Basketball Courts – 2
Pickleball – 4
Nearest Public Lake:
Grand Lake St. Marys: 16 Minutes
Fishing, Swimming, Boating, Water
Skiing, Scuba Diving, and Camping
BANQUET FACILITIES:
Rockford
Community
Building – 400 seats
Shane Hall – 80 seats
Hang Over Brews – 80 seats
Rockford Library – 24 seats
MEDICAL FACILITIES:
Hospitals
Mercer Health – 19 Minutes
Grand Lake Health – 21 Minutes
Ohio Health – 23 Minutes
Adams Memorial – 23 Minutes, Decatur, IN
Nursing Homes/Assisted Living
Divine Nursing and Rehab at Shane Hill
Tranquility of Rockford
Medical Offices
Doctor Office – 1
Emergency Ambulance Svs. – 1
COLLEGES:
Wright State University
Lake Campus – 16 Minutes
Vantage Career Center – 24 Minutes
WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
& AREA MEDIA:
The Photo Star
The Daily Standard
The Times Bulletin
WCSM, WKKI, WRKD
Education
OTHER SCHOOL EMPLOYEES:
Administrators – 10
Classified Staff – 53
Total Operating Fund – $6,000,000
K-12 Pupil/Teacher Ratio – 14:1
Cost Per Pupil – $11,816
Parkway Local School District:
A Thriving Rural Community
Nestled in the heart of Ohio, the Parkway School
District spans 160 square miles of picturesque
countryside. This vibrant rural area is home to
three primary villages: Rockford, Mendon, and
Willshire, each contributing to the district’s
unique charm and character.
Education: Investing in our Future
The Parkway Local School District stands as a testament to the community’s commitment to education:
• In 2005 a $36 Million Ohio Schools Facilities
Commission (OSFC) project consolidated all
district facilities into a single, state-of-theart
Pre-K-12 building in Rockford.
• This modern campus boasts a 600-
seat auditorium, a competition
gymnasium, and expanded
agricultural and industrial arts
facilities.
Recent enhancements include addition of a greenhouse to bolster the agricultural
program in 2023, and groundbreaking on
a 13,667 sq.ft. athletic complex in 2024,
featuring:
• High school football locker rooms
• Indoor batting cages
• Golf simulator
• 3-lane, 100-yard indoor track
• Indoor pole vault facilities
• Athletic training room
• Public Restrooms
• 3,000 sq. ft. multipurpose area
for various sports practices
Taxes
Tax rates are expressed in dollars and
cents for each thousand dollars of
valuation.
PROPERTY TAX RATE:
Mercer County – 10.96 %
Tri-County Health – 1.00 %
Rockford Library – 1.00 %
Township General Fund – 1.00%
Fire Protection – 2.20 %
Parkway Schools – 35.57%
JVSD – 4.30%
Rockford Village – 4.60 %
Total Rate: 60.63 %
EFFECTIVE RATE FOR REAL ESTATE:
Residential – $48.5423
Business – $57.6064
This rate is applicable to Tangible Personal
Property used in business. Taxable value of
TPP is 25% of Ohio depreciated value.
Taxable value for real property is 35% of
market
value.
The Village of Rockford is a State
of Ohio certified Enterprise Zone.
This allows for the negotiation of
tax abatements based upon job
creation.
LOCAL TAXES:
Village Income Tax – 1%
School Income Tax – 1%
Utilities
ELECTRIC POWER SUPPLIER: AES
Net Capacity Available: 20 MVA
Supplied Voltage: 3ph 12000V
Principal Energy Sourced:
Coal – 88%
Other – 12%
NATURAL GAS SUPPLIER: Enbridge
TELEPHONE: Century Link
INTERNET: Wabash Communications
& Spectrum: Fiber Optic Speeds up to
2 Gig/2Gig Available
Transportation
RAILROAD:
RJ Corman Railroad & Distribution
8056 Albers Road | Celina, OH – 16 Minutes
HIGHWAYS:
I-75 – 31 Minutes
I-69 – 40 Minutes
US Rt 30 – 22 Minutes
US Rt 33 – Through Rockford
St Rt 118 – Through Rockford
ODOT Traffic Survey Report shows
6,100 vehicles per day
MOTOR FREIGHT CARRIERS
SERVING COMMUNITY: 8
SMALL PACKAGE SERVICES:
United Parcel Service
Federal Express
Emery Worldwide
DHL
Amazon
Walmart Delivery
AIR SERVICE:
International:
Dayton International Airport – 75 Minutes
Ft. Wayne International Airport – 47 Minutes
Local:
Mercer County Lakefield – 22 Minutes
Van Wert County – 18 Minutes
Neil Armstrong/
New Knoxville – 30 Minutes
Industry & Labor
ESTIMATED LABOR FORCE:
Mercer County
Total Labor Force: 24,100
Employment: 23,200
Total Unemployment: 3.8%
Mercer/Van Wert Counties
Total Labor Force: 39,700
Employment: 38,100
Total Unemployment: 4.0%
LOCAL EMPLOYERS:
The Fremont Company – 118 Employees
TuWay American Group – 65 Employees
Parkway Local Schools – 205 Employees
SMALL BUSINESSES:
The Village of Rockford has over 40
small businesses
which employ between
one to twenty plus full and part time
individuals who contribute greatly to
the economy of Rockford.
Rockford
Revitalization
Program
Rockford is eager to assist in helping
promote your investment in our community.
Investments enhance the quality of life in
our community and the surrounding area.
• Excellent Rated School System
• Parks & Recreation
• Sense of Security
• Affordable
INCENTIVES
• Community Reinvestment Area
• Enterprise Zone
Village Assistance
COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT AREA:
A percentage of tax exemption on the
increase
in assessed valuation resulting
from the improvements to residential,
commercial, and industrial real estate
properties.
Residential – 50% for 5 years for
construction or remodeling upon which
the cost is at least $2,500
Existing Commercial or industrial
facilities – negotiated on a case by case
basis.
New commercial or industrial facility
– negotiated on a case by case basis in
advance of construction.
ENTERPRISE ZONE:
The program authorizes the village to
negotiate tax abatement
agreements
with nonretail
businesses proposing
to undertake opportunities within
the
Village.
Negotiated tax abatements may provide
up to 75% abatement of taxes which
would be assessed against the value
added by the particular
business’s
investment.
The business must create or retain
at least 3 jobs.
The minimum investment required
is $100,000.
Jobs created must pay a minimum
of national minimum wage.