Can Bethel Township have peace for their time?
An annexation agreement with Huber Heights is on the table. What will it change?
Back in September 1938, Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister, believed he had effectively addressed the ambitions of Germany. He thought he had it all figured out by negotiating an agreement that allowed Germany to take over specific parts of Czechoslovakia. Chamberlain even proudly declared the Munich Agreement as a guarantee of "peace for our time." Yet, in less than a year, the world was thrown into the chaos of World War II.
This little piece of history reminded me of something when I came across a news report. It turns out that the Board of Trustees of Bethel Township recently offered to enter into an annexation agreement with Huber Heights. The deal itself is pretty straightforward: Huber Heights can annex whatever they please south of U.S. Route 40 between State Route 201 and State Route 202, and the township won't put up any resistance. However, if it's anything beyond that designated area, you can bet that the township will try to fight back. The goal is to make this agreement last for fifty years—a solid half-century with no battles over annexation.
Huber Heights, the fourth largest city in Miami County.
If you haven't taken a trip through Bethel Township recently, you might not fully grasp just how much the community has grown. Maybe you've noticed that Huber Heights borders the rural hamlet of Phoneton along State Route 202, but that's been the case for quite some time now. It's actually on the State Route 201 side where you'll see more significant development. That's where you'll find multi-story housing units and new retail establishments. In the past, there used to be a considerable amount of vacant land between the county line and Brandt on State Route 201, but that's no longer the situation today.
Now, let's dive into the numbers and see just how many people actually live in the Huber Heights portion of Miami County. One way to gauge this is by looking at the number of registered voters in the area. I find this data set particularly interesting because it's more up to date than census numbers, although it doesn't account for every single person. So, let's take a peek at the largest communities in Miami County based on the count of registered voters.
Troy - 18,344
Piqua - 12,407
Tipp City - 7,640
Huber Heights - 3,676
West Milton - 3,151
Covington - 1,641
Pleasant Hill - 861
Bradford - 666
You might be surprised to learn that Huber Heights is the fourth largest city in Miami County. It’s currently larger that West Milton. Twenty years ago, there were barely a few dozen houses in the Miami County portion of Huber Heights, now there are hundreds. Without a doubt, this portion of the county is the fastest growing part.
Growing Pains
The growth in the Bethel Local School District is something that can be felt deeply. You see, for years, the district was housed in one grand building right on State Route 201, just a little north of Brandt. They did add a new wing for the high school back in the 1970s, if my memory serves me right.
But in the last few years, the growth has been off the charts. While the schools still occupy a single large piece of land, that once small building has expanded in size and is now feeling a bit cramped, to be honest. In fact, the district is now considered one of the fastest-growing in the whole state!
Believe it or not, the Miami County section of Huber Heights has experienced this growth partly due to the allure of the school district. You see, Bethel has always been this charming little rural district, and that kind of vibe really appeals to families. It's certainly more appealing than the Huber Heights City School District. All this has caused the district to balloon to unprecedented numbers and has raised some tough questions that they never expected to face in their once peaceful and cozy school district.
But you know what else comes with this growth? Traffic. Those roads that used to be pretty empty, like U.S. Route 40, have now become busier than ever. It's not just the rural routes that are affected; even the township and county roads surrounding the developments and schools are facing more and more traffic. It's a whole new ball game out there.
Changing Lines
One interesting aspect of the agreement proposed by the Township Trustees is that once a property is annexed, Huber Heights will take those annexed parcels out of the township. Currently, annexed parcels remain within the township. For instance, all parcels within the City of Troy are still considered part of Concord Township, which is why Troy voters still participate in electing Concord Township's trustees and fiscal officer. In fact, if Bethel were to keep the annexed parcels within the township, the township could still receive a small portion of the property tax's inside millage.
However, what remains unchanged are the school district boundary lines. Cities, villages, townships, and counties have no control over those boundary lines, as they are determined by the Ohio Department of Education. Historically, the ODE has been reluctant to modify these lines. So, whether newly developed parcels are located in Bethel Township or Huber Heights, children residing in those areas will attend Bethel Local Schools.
Why does this matter to me?
You might be wondering why this issue in Bethel Township should matter to residents in other parts of the county, including Troy. Well, one important factor to consider is that the County Commissioners are responsible for a water and sewer system that serves specific areas of Bethel Township.
The system was originally established to provide centralized water services to Brandt. This was not only intended to deliver better quality water to households in that community but also seen as a way to discourage future annexations by Huber Heights. The idea was that if Miami County could provide centralized water and sewer services, developers wouldn't feel the need to annex to Huber Heights.
However, there's a problem with this theory. There is nothing requiring Huber Heights to offer water and sewer services to the territory they annex, particularly since Miami County can provide those services. This puts the county's water and sanitary sewer system in a difficult position. How can the county effectively plan for increased system capacity when it has no say in how dense the development will be? All those decisions will be made by Huber Heights, and consider this: 200 homes require less infrastructure than 100 homes, yet the county will bear the burden with no say at the table.
Where do we go from here?
State annexation laws have always favored villages and cities over townships. However, these laws have reached a point where municipalities can annex any properties they desire without any requirements for the services they must provide. It's a system where cities and villages can run roughshod over townships and counties as they please.
While cities and villages should have the ability to annex land for growth, there needs to be a better way to consider the needs of counties and townships. The answers to these questions are not found at city hall or the township building; they reside in the statehouse in Columbus.
Will Bethel Township find peace for their time? Only time will tell.
What questions do you have? Ask them in the comments below!
I’ve always wondered why they’re called “city schools” when the city has no say in the schools and vice versa. I bet Huber heights school district would like an influx of new property taxes.
Learned a great deal from this article in that I have apparently known nothing about the township and city/village annexation relationship. Good reporting, Bill.