BY LEW MOORES
The Cincinnati Enquirer
CLEVES -- The village has appointed a committee to review petitions collected to place the town's dissolution on the November ballot, and will also look into what happens to the village's debt should it cease to exist.
Those in favor of dissolving Cleves say they fear the village may hold up the petitions until the deadline passes for getting the issue on the ballot.
Team EFFECT (Ensuring the Financial Future and Enhancing Cleves for Tomorrow), the group wanting the issue decided by voters, said the petitions should just be sent on to the Hamilton County Board of Elections.
The elections board would then determine whether enough valid signatures had been collected to get it on the Nov. 3 ballot. "Why not allow the board of elections to do their work?" said Joe Whitton, a Team EFFECT member.
Tim Mara, an attorney representing Team EFFECT -- which collected 542 signatures -- said it wants to see how quickly the committee forwards the petitions to the elections board.
"If it seems like they'll pick up the pace, I guess we'll remain patient," said Mr. Mara. "If they're going to stretch this thing out, then maybe we need to consider some court action."
Robert Manley, an attorney representing the village, said a state law requires the village to review the petitions and "make sure they're suitable to go on the ballot."
He said the committee also needs to look at the question of what happens to the village's debt -- about $800,000 -- if the village is dissolved.
In any case, he said, "I fully expect all this work will be completed by the appropriate time so that the matter will be on the ballot in November. Why this group doesn't want the village to perform its duties, I don't know."
But Mr. Mara said there is a fear the village and its committee could hold up the process until the ballot deadline passes.
Of the 542 signatures collected, 256 must be validated. Deadline for the petitions to be certified by the elections board is Aug. 20.
"That's not very far away," said Mr. Mara.
But Mr. Manley said that, given the number of signatures collected, "it's most unlikely it would not get on the ballot."
Team EFFECT presented its petitions and signatures to the village in mid-June.
The group thinks residents would be better served by dissolving the village and becoming part of surrounding Miami Township. It argues that property taxes for village services are too high.
