By Erica Solvig
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Border wars are kicking up again in fast-growing Warren County.

South Lebanon is looking to redraw township boundaries in order to put about 250 acres of the village that's in Hamilton Township into Union Township. Their goal is to put the village under only one fire district, Mayor James Smith said.

"Residents would have closer availability to EMS and the fire station," Smith said. "They'd have a quicker response time."

The proposal does not include the entire village because some portions, such as the proposed Villages at River's Bend subdivision, have only recently been annexed into the village and cannot be included by law, Smith said.

Village council recently approved the idea, but the county has not received an official request yet. Commissioners will be the ones to decide whether the township lines will be changed.

Hamilton Township has fought the village over annexations in the past and trustee Clyde Baston says they'll protest this boundary change as well. "We take care of those people over there as well as we take care of the people in Cozaddale," he said. "And we plan for that district in our budget. ... We'll lose a lot of money."

Baston did not know Friday how much that would be.

South Lebanon is not the only Warren County community looking to change boundaries:

• At Paramount's Kings Island's request, the city of Mason is trying to annex nearly 75 acres of the theme park's property that's in Deerfield Township. The township hasn't said whether they'll fight the annexation, though trustees last week retained an attorney to look into the issue. That property is also being eyed by a developer who wants to build a $60 million hotel and indoor water park there.

• County commissioners last week received a request to annex about 12 acres from Salem Township into the village of Morrow.

E-mail esolvig@enquirer.com