PHOTO BY BRENNA WHITE / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
WORK CONTINUES … Commissioner Scott Lirot and Todd Burkholder discussed the 2026 Land Bank Demolition list at their April meeting.
By: Brenna White
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
The Williams County Land Bank met on April 9, 2026, to review 2026 demolition projects and pass annual motions. Todd Burkholder, Scott Lirot, Bart Westfall, Jason Rockey, Vicki Grimm and Kellie Gray were in attendance alongside the Maumee Valley Planning Organization.
A demolition update for the county’s 2024 projects was presented. All demolitions were completed, with the exception of three still requiring seeding and site finishing touches.
The 2026 round for demolition has been selected, with last-minute submissions being accepted until May 1, 2026. The locations are awaiting asbestos reports and final abatement costs.
After the information is received, bid openings will be held. More concrete financial figures will be presented at the next meeting.
Several motions were presented by the MVPO — largely routine resolutions that are approved annually. This included signage responsibilities being approved for the chairman and treasurer. Procurement process continuation for contracts and change orders was also passed.
Discussion on a potential fee for owners that will retain their properties was held. MVPO presented a potential $500 fee for demolition applications, as neighboring counties have recently implemented it into their system.
“So far it hasn’t been a problem, though,” said Rockey. “We’ve got more money than we can spend anyways.
“We’ve already prioritized all of the properties that are being donated to the Landbank… We’ve never gotten to the end and not had enough money for demos,” he continued. “Now if it becomes competitive, and we have too many properties,” Rockey continued, “we have to decide which ones are getting torn down and which ones aren’t, then we’re looking at a fee.”
The Land Bank is currently waiting for the 2026 budget to be announced, alongside the bid offers for their project list.
The board opted to wait until their next meeting to make any decisions on incorporating a fee. With no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:34 a.m.