In both the City of Defiance and Defiance County, public officials have a history of being responsive to the needs and desires of the citizens they serve.

A city charter and a strong mayor/strong council govern Defiance. The council has seven members, one from each of four wards and three elected at-large. The mayor is elected to a four-year term and serves as the chief executive officer of the city and, with council approval, appoints the city administrator.
The city has a very responsive and qualified public-service department, including street maintenance, parks and recreation, building inspection, planning, zoning, and engineering departments.

The police force is composed of 22 uniformed officers, two investigators and four dispatchers. The force operates 24 hours a day and utilizes four patrol vehicles. An enhanced 911 emergency telephone system is currently in place.

The fire department consists of 15 full-time and 22 on-call members. Equipment includes four pumpers, one 90-foot aerial ladder truck, one heavy equipment truck and two rescue vehicles. Members of the department who have completed a 110-hour training course provide rescue. The fire protection class is 5.

For further information, call the Defiance City Hall at (419) 784-2101 or visit www.cityofdefiance.com.

The three-member Defiance County Board of Commissioners is the policy-making and legislative body of the county. It is the county government’s taxing, budgeting, appropriating and purchasing authority, and holds title to county property. The board is also responsible for hearing and ruling on annexations, approving drainage improvements through the petition ditch process, and making improvements and providing for solid-waste disposal.

Regular sessions are held every Monday and Thursday. Meetings are conducted in the commissioners’ conference room, located at 500 Court Street, Defiance.

The commissioners appoint department heads for those offices reporting directly to them and also appoint members to a variety of boards and commissions. Commissioners serve directly on some boards, such as the Board of Revision, the County Records Commission, and the Planning Commission.

The voters in the county’s 12 townships elect three-member boards of trustees who maintain the roads and cemeteries and perform other duties as provided by state law.

The chief law-enforcement officer of the county is the sheriff, who is elected to a four-year term. The sheriff and his 11 deputies have the authority to enforce all laws anywhere within the county. The sheriff’s office communication center is the central dispatch and 911 emergency center for Defiance County. Other units in the department are specialty units, including K-9, dive and marine teams, and a multi-area narcotics unit. This unit provides narcotic investigations for five counties and one municipality. Additionally, a D.A.R.E. officer is involved with every fifth-grader in Defiance County.

For further information about the county government, call the commissioner’s office at (419) 782-4761 or visit www.defiance-county.com.