By Megan Alley
Sun Reporter
The Pierce Township Board of Trustees held a special meeting on Oct. 10 to talk with the public about an upcoming ballot measure in Amelia that will ask voters there whether or not the village should surrender its corporate powers and dissolve.
The meeting was aimed at providing answers to some of the questions that have been swirling around the impending vote.
Representatives from Pierce Township felt compelled to act because they are already involved; if Amelia voters decide to dissolve the village, everything that once belonged to the village will be divided between Batavia and Pierce Townships.
The meeting was held at 6 p.m. at Locust Corner Elementary School in front of a large crowd of residents from the affected communities who turned out for the event.
David Thompson, interim auditor from the Ohio Auditor of State’s Office, presented on the procedures governing the dissolution process.
“This process is 90 percent a legal process,” he explained.
Thompson acknowledged that Amelia’s potential dissolution has some unprecedented challenges.
“This is the first time in history that two townships would be involved [in a dissolution],” he said.
Thompson has already met with with officials from all of the entities involved.
He said that if voters dissolve the village, representatives from the village, townships and the state would meet to organize next steps while the election was being certified to “ensure services to residents is not interrupted.”
He added, “I understand the importance of clarity; believe me, your services will continue.”
He also noted that there would be a transition period, that could last up to a year, during which the state would audit the village to assess all of its holdings.
As the nearly two-hour meeting rolled on, Thompson, along with representatives from Pierce Township, as well as representatives from Batavia Township who were seated in the audience, fielded questions such as:
– Would the village’s one percent income tax go away, and when?
Thompson responded, “As we stand here this evening, that issue is still being researched … there’s not a definitive answer to that question.”
He added, “For sure, at the end of the transition period, the income tax goes away.”
– What happens to the village’s formal debt?
Thompson responded that the formal debt will not go away; it will be transferred to the township.
– What will be the mechanisms for telling residents about what’s happening?
Pierce Township’s trustees responded that they would utilize newsletters, social media and the local newspaper.
– Would Amelia police be absorbed into Pierce Township’s Police Department?
Pierce Township Police Chief Jeff Bachman said that the village’s officers would need to go through the township’s formal interview process.
Civility was maintained throughout the meeting, which is more than can be said for some of the village of Amelia council meetings that have been held lately.
What’s clear is that people are passionate about this issue.
Some in Amelia want it to dissolve, some want to unseat the current council and give governance a try themselves.
Then there are the residents of Pierce and Batavia Townships, who have had this drama foisted upon them, and who may have new neighborhoods and swaths of land to welcome to their townships.
Despite the answers that were given during the meeting, it’s clear that to many people this process is still not clear.
Thompson said, “It’s not spelled out … we’re testing the boundaries of the two small [Ohio Revised Code] sections [that deal with some of the issues], we really are.”
