By Sue Kiesewetter
Enquirer contributor

LIBERTY TWP. - If Butler County doesn't back away from its plan for new taxing districts for unbuilt subdivisions, Lakota educators said Saturday they will probably partner with West Chester Township on such districts instead.

Following nearly three hours of discussion Saturday, the school board voted unanimously to give county commissioners until 4 p.m. Monday to rescind a resolution covering five areas of West Chester Township they planned to include in the taxing district.

"If the county doesn't give us breathing room ... our preference would be to work with West Chester," said Lakota board member Dan Warncke.

Commissioners had proposed establishing residential tax increment financing districts from which taxes would be put into a special fund for improvements. Most of that money, they said, would be directed to Lakota school projects. But on Saturday, board members questioned the legality of parts of the plan. They said there was not a high trust level with the county, which has not paid the schools for five years on another commercial tax incentive district.

Last week, West Chester trustees announced they would preempt the county by creating a township tax incentive district on 10 subdivisions; including those proposed by the county.

On Friday, Commissioner Chuck Furmon proposed forming a joint committee to further study the issue. He said if that was agreeable, the commissioners might rescind their plan for the West Chester taxing district at their Monday meeting. If that doesn't happen, West Chester trustees plan to enact their district at a 4 p.m. Monday meeting.