Wednesday, May 19, 1999
Land battle may land in court
Wisdom of annexation in question
BY KEVIN ALDRIDGE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP — The debate over Mason's attempt to annex 102 acres from Deerfield Township is intensifying, even as both sides prepare to battle in court.
A Warren County court last week granted the township an injunction temporarily blocking Mason from annexing a chunk of land owned by the Mason Board of Education. A trial date has been set for 8:30 a.m. Sept. 2 to review the matter before Common Pleas Judge P. Daniel Fedders.
The parcel, known as the Batsche farm, is on the east side of Mason-Montgomery Road between Bethany and Brewer roads. The Mason Board of Education plans to build a school there.
Mason officials see the fight as a waste of taxpayers' money, but the township is defending its actions.
“Deerfield Township residents, especially, should be outraged,” Mason Mayor Betty Davis said. “This is an exercise in futility at a high cost to both Mason and Deerfield taxpayers.”
But Trustees President Tom Raga said the township has “no intention of wasting taxpayers money. We would not take this case to an appeal if we didn't feel we had a strong case. We spent a long time evaluating and calculating the probabilities of success on this.”
Met the requirements
Township officials are seeking to overturn a March 9 decision by Warren County commissioners to annex the property into Mason. Commissioners voted in favor of the annexation because it was supported by 100 percent of the property owners and met all Ohio's requirements for annexation.
Trustees argue the land, which encompasses about 8 percent of Deerfield's northwest quadrant, is unreasonably large. They say its removal would be detrimental to the township's multimillion-dollar plans to bring parks and utilities to the area.
The three-member board also maintains the annexation is premature and that the township can provide water and sewer services to the property that are equal to or better than Mason's.
“We have not heard one word from anybody in the township who thinks this is a bad action,” Trustee Larry Backus said. “Deerfield has already invested almost $4 million in this area of the township. ... We have an investment to protect and sound monetary reasons to object to this unnecessary annexation.”
Reasoning questioned
Mason City Manager Scot Lahrmer said trustees are clinging to false hopes.
“We all know what the outcome of this appeal is going to be,” Mr. Lahrmer said. “It is a frivolous lawsuit and unfortunately it's going to cost tax payers in both communities a lot of money.”
How much money?
“I estimate the city will spend a minimum of $20,000 defending this appeal,” said Mr. Lahrmer. He noted the city spent more than $250,000 to defend six annexations from township appeals between April 1995 and October 1996.
Township officials did not have cost estimates readily available Tuesday.
“I don't think this is going to be too terribly expensive for the township,” Mr. Backus said. “But we have to challenge annexations when they don't make sense, and this one doesn't. Otherwise, we are laying down and letting the city run over us.”
Short Vine may charge for Sunday night entry
Casinos could need luck in Covington
City hopes to break new ground by selling convention center
Heritage, tradition clash in nickname dispute
Reward for suspect reaches $6,000
Don't force 'Star Wars' on me
Fans flock to 'Phantom Menace'
'Phantom Menace' needs a heart
Tell us what you think
Grandpa's grief over dying boy turns to good
Kids petition: Don't ban ice cream man
Rescued pilot insists peace is worth risks
UC is taking hospital workers' parking spots
Utility reform bill goes to House
County, city fret about losing frequencies
Repairs led to kid porn material
Child-sex case may grow, police say
GET TO IT
'Love! Valour!' funny, spirited
Uterine fibroids procedure offers hysterectomy option
Crossing guard solution sought
Fired worker criticizes DHL in suit
Five Lebanon teen-agers hurt in wreck
HMO plan may bar lawsuits
Jail opponents rattle cages
Land battle may land in court
Lebanon picks manager
Man held in beating death at bar
Mason schools squeezed
Ohio House to reconsider lemon law
OU equipping dorms with computers
School-levy triumph repeated
School overflows to local church
Six-day peace walk ends
Stolen money catalyst for student's winning essay
Striking worker hit by truck
TRISTATE DIGEST
Twelve injured in 10-vehicle pileup
Visit to Balkans calms Voinovich
