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Xenia Twp. Administrator Alan Stock said he plans to attend the council meeting and voice his objections.
"The township will vigorously oppose any attempts from the city of Xenia to annex any parcel(s) of land that are located within Xenia Township," Stock said.
If this first of three proposed phases gets the green light from the state, the move would geographically connect the city to the CSU campus near Old U.S. 35 East and Wilberforce Switch Road.
That would set the stage for the annexation of 159 acres of CSU's land into the city of Xenia, a process expected to take two years to complete.
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"The annexation signals the beginning of a concerted effort to strategically link both the city and the campus for future joint economic, educational and developmental expansion," reads the press release that CSU and the city jointly issued Aug. 10.
The petition and all the necessary paperwork in this first phase will be submitted to county commissioners for approval next month.
The Greene County Commission's job will be to review the petition to make sure it complies with requirements established by Ohio law. If so, the commission is obligated to accept and submit it to the state for consideration.
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The township is not alone in objecting to the proposed annexation.
Melva Newsom, CSU graduate and president of the Wilberforce Community Property Owners Association, said no member of her association is in favor of the idea and, she hasn't found an alumnus who is for it either.
"We were not included in any discussions, any plans, any announcements, bulletins, nothing," Newsom said.
A type-II annexation, otherwise known as a balloon-on-a-string annexation, is when a municipality is only marginally connected to the desired property and they are at times challenged in court, with varying results.
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City Manager Brent Merriman said Ohio law spells out the specific conditions required of a type-II annexation "in terms of connection, contiguity, and acreage limitations."
"We have been very intentional in following the statutory requirements, and we believe our approach is compliant with ORC (Ohio Revised Code)," Merriman said.
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