Wednesday, November 10, 1999
Union Twp. voters may dump name
West Chester option will be on March ballot
BY MICHAEL D. CLARK and KEVIN ALDRIDGE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
UNION TOWNSHIP — Butler County's fastest-growing township may enter the next century with a new name if voters next year approve changing this community's name to West Chester.
By a unanimous vote Tuesday, Union Township trustees moved to put the name change on the March ballot for residents to decide whether they want to adopt West Chester and drop Union Township.
“I think it will be a real positive thing for the communi ty,” Trustee Tom Hayden said. “I certainly hope voters are supportive of it and I believe they will be.”
Years ago, the all-too-common Union Township name lost its appeal as township officials grew tired of receiving mail, emergency calls, lawsuits and phone calls intended for other Union Townships in Clermont and Warren counties.
“I think anybody who knows the situation, particularly those in government, has got stories to tell about the confusion with the Union Township name,” Trustee Catherine Stoker said. “This (change) is long past time happening.”
It was confusion that prompted Union Township officials to move on gathering petitions that are no longer necessary to place the proposed name change on the ballot.
In Ohio alone there are 28 Union Townships, but there will be one less next spring if trustees and thousands of residents who have signed petitions have their way.
A name change would provide a distinct identity for the township and separate it from the clutter of other Union Townships, township leaders say. The name West Chester has grown in unofficial acceptance in recent years to the degree it already is incorporated in township letterhead and signs.
“Certainly West Chester is better than Hogtown,” Trustee Chairman Jose Alvarez joked, referring to a previous commu nity name used in the early 1800s.
Also Tuesday:
Trustees held the first of two public meetings regarding a proposal to adopt a limited home-rule government for the township.
If adopted, home rule allows townships to pass ordinances and contract with independent legal counsel and engineers, rather than relying on county resources. Townships also can borrow at the same rate as cities, villages and counties under the law and have longer to pay back such loans.
The limited self-government, or home rule, form of township government was established in Ohio in 1991. Of the state's 1,309 townships, only eight have sought limited self-government, including Sycamore and Delhi townships in 1992, Hamilton Township (1993) and Symmes Township (1996).
In May, Ohio passed a law that gives townships the authority to adopt home rule. That law took effect Sept. 20 and some other area townships, including Deerfield Township in Warren County, are actively considering adopting home rule.
The new law allows home-rule powers on a unanimous vote by township trustees, who before had to hold an election. Voters can seek a referendum on the trustees' decision should they object to home rule.
“The biggest advantage is that it gives us some flexibility in borrowing capacity,” Mr. Alvarez said. “It allows us to borrow money at a much lower interest rate ... and take a long time in paying it back.”
The next public meeting will be 8 p.m. Nov. 23 at the township administration building. Trustees are scheduled to take a final vote during their Dec. 21 meeting.
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