Wednesday, October 27, 1999
Union Twp. residents asking for new name
6,000 sign petition to be West Chester
BY MICHAEL D. CLARK
The Cincinnati Enquirer
UNION TOWNSHIP — What's in a name?
A lot of confusion, township residents said Tuesday as they asked trustees to change the Butler County community's name to West Chester.
Only a few residents supporting the name change attended a public meeting at the township administration building, but almost 6,000 residents have signed a petition favoring putting the issue to a vote.
“Reason for my support is very simple. It just makes sense,” resident Tamya Zerkle told trustees.
For years, officials of the fastest-growing township in Butler County have wanted to change the name to West Chester, which was the community's original moniker when it was a small settlement in what is now southeastern Butler County. There is still a small, historical section of the township that is known as “Olde West Chester.”
The township has been moving to adopt the new name in recent years with inclusion of West Chester on official letterhead, some signs and even the township's official publication.
Besides the thousands of residents who signed the name change petition, busi ness owners have supported the change along with former Gov. George Voinovich, who approved the name for three exit signs along Interstate 75. Union Township's own post office bears the West Chester name.
The most common complaint is the Union Township name causes confusion.
Often, the township gets deliveries, mail or bills meant for other Union Townships. In Ohio alone, there are 28 Union Townships, including one each in Clermont and Warren counties.
“We get each others' bills, each others' mail and each others' phone calls,” township Administrator David Gully said of the drawbacks of sharing a common township name.
The trustees are scheduled to vote on whether to put the name change on the March ballot at their Nov. 9 meeting.
A new Ohio law allows the issue to be placed on the ballot and to pass with a simple majority vote. Previously, such a ballot issue required signatures from at least 50 percent of registered voters.
This month, township workers put up a new sign on southbound Ohio 747 in Butler County that read: “West Chester, Ohio. Where Families Grow and Businesses Prosper.”
It was the first of several West Chester signs planned for entrances to what is officially still Union Township.
Shortly after the sign was installed, however, it was removed because township officials said its reflective material was not the proper color.
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