LEWISBURG — Council accepted the resignation of Susan Laux as the village’s chief fiscal officer.

Laux resigned as fiscal officer in order to accept a position as a grant writer for Darke County.

Laux has been the village’s chief fiscal officer for three years.

Although Laux resigned as chief fiscal officer, she will still be employed as the village’s grant administrator.

Former village fiscal officer Kanny Schlotterback, who retired from the position in October of 2021, will serve as interim fiscal officer until the village finds a replacement for Laux.

“I have accepted a position with the Darke County commissioners to do some grant work for them,” Laux said.

“I will be back here (Lewisburg) on Friday afternoons to take care of the grant work here and to move that forward and continue to move projects for the village forward,” Laux said.

“I will also be around to help whoever follows me so there’s a smooth transition there,” Laux continued.

Laux said resigning as chief fiscal officer was a tough decision.

“It came down to family. I appreciate everybody’s thoughts and prayers concerning my parents,” Laux said.

Laux said she appreciated the support from municipal manager Jeff Sewert concerning her need to take care of her parents.

“I appreciate Jeff letting me be off when they were in the hospital and with all the doctor’s appointments that we had to go to all the time. I appreciate him letting me be off and allowing me to work later in the evening to flex my time in order to take care of them and facilitate what they need,” Laux said.

“When the tables were turned they took care of me and now it’s my turn to take care of them,” Laux said.

Mayor Dennis Roberts thanked Laux for her service to the village.

“We very much appreciate your professionalism and expertise and your dedication for the drive down here and back and all the long hours you have put in,” Roberts said.

“We will also appreciate in the future your assistance to Jeff and council in helping us with grants,” Roberts continued.

Jeff Sewert also expressed his appreciation for Laux’s services, specifically pointing out her role in the construction of the village’s water tower.

Fire chief BJ Sewert said Laux made his position easier and more enjoyable during her three years with the village.

“If I had any questions whatsoever, I would never have a problem getting an answer,” BJ said.

BJ also praised Laux for her ability to obtain grants for the fire department.

“Her grant writing abilities and her ways to find those grants have been a tremendous benefit for me and the department. She found ways to save us a lot of money. I can’t express my thanks enough,” BJ said.

Police chief Rick McGee echoed BJ.

“Anytime I ever needed anything – it didn’t matter what it was – Mrs. Laux was there. She’s definitely going to be missed,” McGee said.

Laux expressed her respect for the administration and council.

“You guys do a lot of great things here. You care about your community and you all come together and make it a better place. The people in this county see it and they all want to be like Lewisburg,” Laux said.

“You always put the community first and think about your image and that really makes it hard for me to leave,” Laux added.

Reach Terry Baver at [email protected].