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The Merger Study has ended. After studying the pros and cons of a merger for almost two years, a majority of the Merger Commission members from both the City of Bellbrook and from Sugarcreek Township made the determination that a merger was not in the best interests of our communities at this time. "Thank You" to all of the Commission members, City and Township employees, community leaders and to the many citizens who attended meetings and provided input.
Why are we doing a merger study? This is an important question and it is vital that everyone understands the answer to this question.
Recent changes in Ohio law make it impossible for townships to stop unwanted annexations by surrounding municipalities. These hostile annexations can result in millions of dollars of lost tax revenues. The only way to make up for this lost revenue is to increase property taxes on the remaining township residents or to cut services.
On the other hand, Ohio law prevents one municipality from annexing the land of another municipality unless both municipalities agree to the annexation. The simple strategy behind the merger study is to conduct a study to determine if it makes sense for Sugarcreek Township to merge with the City of Bellbrook and thus protect township lands from being annexed by Centerville, Kettering, Beavercreek or Xenia.
A lot of questions need to be answered before anyone can determine if a merger makes sense or not. This is the task that will be undertaken by the Merger Commission. Public participation in the merger study is vital and all points of view are important.
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Web Sites By Denny Bennett.Net December 2008