Once the largest township in Ohio, annexation by Middletown and Monroe has decimated Lemon Twp. It now consists of about 2,800 residents and just six parcels landlocked between Madison Twp., Monroe, Trenton and Middletown. It has no police, fire or streets department. And now thanks to recent cuts to the local government fund, within a few years Lemon Twp. Trustee Joe Routson said it may not exist at all.
“I don’t think the township’s going to have to file bankruptcy, but it is a possibility,” said Routson, who is the son of Monroe’s Mayor Robert Routson. “We would like to keep the township solvent for years to come, but it’s all kind of up in the air. We don’t really know what is going to happen,” he said.
The possibility was not shocking to the residents of Lemon Twp., who said they’ve been expecting their town to disappear for decades. As for what municipality should absorb the township’s responsibilities, the opinions vary.
Lisa Wackler Silverglade has always been partial to Monroe, which she moved to in the 1990s. Having lived in Lemon Twp. for four years, she said she’s been impressed with Monroe’s services, as it provides police, fire and street repair for the township.
“I love the land. I love the community,” she said. “If we merge (with a city or township) I’d prefer we stay with Monroe.”
At best, Routson said Lemon Twp. could get by another two or three years given its budget constraints. The township’s estimated general operating budget is $650,000 for 2012 — which is entirely generated from gasoline, property and local government taxes, Routson said.
Last year, Lemon Twp. received a total of $449,558 in revenues. Of that, $425,000 was paid to the city of Monroe for police, fire and street services. This year, Monroe will receive $437,000 under the agreement, according to Rita Tannreuther, the township fiscal officer.
Besides the contract with Monroe, the township also pays the salaries of its three township trustees and its fiscal officer. Tannreuther said she makes $16,000 and the trustees are paid $10,000 a piece. Their salaries are based on the township’s budget, which are mandated by state law, she said.
The options
There is no law on the books in Ohio that would allow a township to dissolve. Rather, Mark Moretti, a public information officer with the Ohio Attorney General, said the Butler County Auditor could declare Lemon Twp. in fiscal emergency and form a commission to work out a recovery plan for its financial woes.
If the township decides to be proactive before reaching that point, it could work out a merger agreement with a nearby city or township as allowed by the new Ohio fiscal budget.
The state budget allows for a township to merge with another township if residents petition for such an option to be placed on a ballot. In the case of Lemon Twp., 280 registered voters (or 10 percent of the population) would have to sign the petition to begin the process, according to state records.
Through an “expedited” township or municipal merger, a township could agree to merge with a city or township, or multiple municipalities, if all the impacted legislative bodies agree via a two-thirds vote. Even then, the state budget allows residents to petition to place the issue on the ballot rather than leave it in the hands of their representatives.
To date, none of these actions have been taken.
Having lived in Lemon Twp. his whole life, Dean Adams said he’s grown accustomed to the freedoms of living in a township: the bonfires, well water, and country atmosphere. If the township is insolvent and is forced to merge, he’d prefer it be with Madison Twp.
“If it’s with a city they’ll want to come in and put in sidewalks and water lines,” Adams said. “I don’t want to be living in a city.”
Paula Greenfield said her taxes are “high enough” and as long as Monroe wouldn’t charge her more she’s happy with the service it provides her.
“Monroe would be okay. I can’t really complain about them. They keep the streets cleared and respond out here when needed,” she said.
Money to lose
City Manager William Brock said the city is concerned about the township’s future plans and how it would affect their public services agreement and $400,000 revenue stream.
“Our concern is that it will dissolve because of the (state) cuts that have come down. At one point, they’re not going to exist,” he said.
Monroe officials have yet to discuss with Lemon Twp. if it plans to dissolve or if the city would merge or annex the remaining property.
“We service it and we’ve always kind of seen it as an extension of us. Lemon Twp. and the city of Monroe have gone back a long way in a partnership in that manner. Obviously, it’s just a different world without having that kind of relationship,” he said.
If Lemon Twp. does merge with another city or township, Brock said Monroe would still have an interest in the services it provides.
“We will still be first responders and we will still be the closest fire department... We’ll have to provide those services without the benefit of receiving the revenues. We need to plan on how do we operate and what will be our contingencies. Can we work contracts out with the others if that were to happen.”
Routson said regardless of all the uncertainties in the township there is one sure thing.
“All of us definitely want to keep the township a township for as long as we possibly can. That’s our goal and we’re all on the same page,” he said of the township trustees.
Middletown, which annexed many parts of Lemon Twp. in previous years, has less at stake if the township were to dissolve. The city provides water and sewer service to 422 Lemon Twp. residents, totaling $238,711 in revenues in 2010, according to the finance department.
That service would likely remain intact if Lemon Twp. merged with another government, said City Manager Judy Gilleland.
As for interest in merging with Lemon Twp., Gilleland said it hasn’t been discussed and Middletown had no plans to annex any land in the near future.
Todd Farler, administrator for neighboring Madison Twp., said he has not heard anything about Lemon Twp.’s struggles. However, he said “the logistics would almost be unfathomable” if they took over serving Lemon Twp.
“Just to provide mutual aid we have to drive through Trenton and go through (Ohio) 73 or go through Middletown,” Farler said. “We have no direct access to Lemon.”
Jim Croucher, who with his wife Elsa served as a township trustee for a combined 30 years, said Lemon Twp. has been “annexed to death,” and should have dissolved years ago. It’s something he tried to usher along when police and fire services were contracted to Monroe.
With so much out of the township’s hands already, Croucher said all it has is “three trustees and a clerk drawing salaries and benefits packages.”
“We love the people of Lemon Twp. but it has reached a point very quickly where you have to scratch your head and wonder why it is still there,” Croucher said.
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