HAMILTON — Butler County Commissioner Mike Fox proposed Monday a financing mechanism involving Mason and two Butler County townships to improve certain roads that will be needed after the Interstate 75/Liberty interchange is completed.

        Mr. Fox wants Butler to help form joint economic development districts (JEDDs) between Mason and Liberty Township and Mason and West Chester Township.

        Under the JEDD agreements, earnings taxes from commercial developments and businesses in a prescribed geographic area would be set aside for road improvements and other infrastructure work. The agreement must involve a municipality and a township.

        “I think that JEDD would be a very useful and fair way to finance highway improvements,” Mr. Fox said. “The people who benefit the most from the improvements would be helping to defray the costs.”

        The proposed interchange at the Michael A. Fox Highway (Ohio 129) and an extended Cox Road is being held up by a state study of the Interstate 75 corridor. State officials have said they will not approve this interchange until they see whether it would create more traffic for I-75.

        The completion of the interchange would be paid for by tax-increment financing. Under that method, a township or city directs all property taxes into a fund used to retire debt for new roads, water or sewer lines.

        But Mr. Fox said there won't be enough money in the tax-increment financing fund to upgrade secondary roads to handle the increased traffic that will be created by the new interchange.

        Possible secondary-road projects include the extension of Cox Road to Ohio 63 and improvements to Butler-Warren, Tylersville and Bethany roads.

        Liberty Township Administrator Nell Kilpatrick said Mr. Fox's JEDD proposal sounded “interesting.”

        Hamilton and Fairfield Township entered into a JEDD agreement six years ago that called for the mutual development of 222 acres in Fairfield Township. It ended an annexation war.

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