So you want to be a Township Official?
This year voters will elect one township trustee and a township fiscal officer. Let's talk about these positions and how to get on the ballot.
In Ohio, township government is one of the oldest forms of local government. Predating state government, townships were formed to provide basic government services to small rural communities. As the state has grown, so have the character of townships. There are over 1,300 townships in our state and they range from small (Manchester Township in Adams County has 54 residents) to large (West Chester Township in Butler County has 62,285 residents). Regardless of the size of the township, the laws governing townships are largely the same. Unlike municipalities (cities and villages), state law doesn’t classify townships based on their population.
On a personal note, one of the first jobs I had out of college was working as the very first township administrator here in Miami County. I served in Bethel Township and was accountable to the Board of Trustees and worked very closely with the Township Fiscal Officer. Serving in township government was something that I throughly enjoyed and I will always have fond memories of working in Bethel Township.
In Miami County, there are twelve townships and most everyone lives in a township; the only exception are those residents in Huber Heights and Piqua where those areas have been legally excluded from townships.
This November, voters in townships will elect one township trustee (to serve on the three member Board of Trustees) and a township fiscal officer to oversee the township government and the filing deadline to get on the ballot for these offices is August 9th.
Township trustees are responsible for the management of township functions. These functions usually involve road maintenance and ditch and stormwater maintenance. Some townships have their own Fire and EMS Department (like Bethel Township), while others contract with other cities or villages to perform that duty (Concord Township contracts Fire/EMS protection with the City of Troy).
Land use and zoning issues can be dealt with by townships, but this isn’t always case. The county’s eastern tier of townships (Bethel, Brown, Elizabeth and Lost Creek) all have their own township-wide zoning resolution that they enforce. The County is responsible for planning and zoning in the remaining townships.
Trustees are also responsible for approving the annual township budget, but that budget is often prepared by the Fiscal Officer. For years, the Fiscal Officer was known as the Township Clerk, but laws were changed in the early 2000s to better reflect the duties of the office.
Township Fiscal Officers are responsible for accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll and the other fiscal matters of the township. Township Fiscal Officers are provided access to a standardized accounting system provided by the state to help Fiscal Officers keep the township books in order. Township Fiscal Officers are also required to keep the minutes of township meetings and help administer meetings of the Board of Trustees.
The terms for both offices are four years; Township Trustees elected in November will begin in January 2024, while Township Fiscal Officers will begin their terms in April. Township officials must be 18 years of age and must be a resident of the township they seek to serve.
To get on the ballot for a township office is not terribly difficult. Candidates must get the signatures of twenty-five registered voters in the township and must use petition Form 3-R from the Secretary of State. Candidates must also pay a $30 filing fee.
You can access Form 3-R here and you can learn more about the office from the Secretary of State’s Candidate Requirement Guide here. The Ohio Township Association is also full of great information about townships can you learn about this organization at this link.
For individuals looking to serve their community, especially those in rural communities, serving as an elected official in their township is a rewarding and fulfulling experience and can often be used as an opporunity for a county or state elected office in the future.
If you are thinking about running for township office, good luck! Let’s us know by dropping a line in the comment section or sending me an email at william.lutz17@gmail.com