Village leaders retiring

Athens longtime president and trustee not running for re-election

Athens Village Board president Chuck Kornack and village board member Dwight Lenhard both have already turned in their non-candidacy papers to village clerk Lisa Czech, even though the deadline isn’t until 5 p.m. on Friday, December 23.

Incumbent Athens Village Board members Randy Decker and Tracy Westfall have filed their papers with Czech to run for re-election on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

Kornack has served as Athens Village Board president during his entire 20 years of service on the village board. Lenhard, meanwhile, has spent 23 years as an Athens Village Board member.

There are now two open seats on the Athens Village Board, one for village president and the other for village trustee, that need to be filled this spring. Czech said village of Athens residents who want to run for election for the village board this spring need to first file a campaign registration statement and a declaration of candidacy before the deadline of 5 p.m. on Tuesday, January 3, 2023.

Czech said then candidates for election are required to obtain 20 signatures from village of Athens residents supporting their election for village board, also before the 5 p.m. deadline on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023.

In other news:

n The Athens Village Board voted to have the village match any amount people donate up to $50,000 to Progress Athens for the acquisition of the former US Bank building downtown, so the municipal offices can be moved there and renovation of the current municipal building can happen.

Czech said Progress Athens has raised $191,000 in private donations so far for the project. She said it’s estimated that approximately $400,000 total would need to be raised in donations for both projects. She said Progress Athens would donate the money it raises to the village of Athens so it can purchase the former US Bank building.

n The village of Athens property tax levy for 2023 has increased from $360,147 this year to $372,959 next year. Czech said the assessed village of Athens mil rate will increase from $7.22 for each $1,000 of village property this year to $7.39 for each $1,000 of village property next year. Thus, Czech said village of Athens residents will pay $17 more for each $1,000 of their assessed value.