It is time to act like adults in township, county fight
Thank you for the article concerning the Jerome Township and Union County dispute about the Limited Home Rule being proposed on the ballot this fall.
The majority of Union County and Jerome Township citizens have no idea what has taken place, nor what could be in their future, and now thanks to the Dispatch, many will now start to understand how their future may be impacted by what is happening behind the curtain.
Jerome Township trustees have put out mailers to their citizens urging them to support the ballot initiative claiming it will improve the quality of the township, attract new businesses, improve roads and infrastructure without new taxes, nor change government.
So, by basically declaring a divorce from the county, that will improve the relationship with the county?
The county is mandated by law to provide police protection, water and sewer, and other things like road maintenance and improvements.
Virtually all of the infrastructure in Jerome Township has been provided by Union County tax dollars, not township dollars. Are we supposed to believe by going it alone and creating all of these services internally there would be no new taxes required?
Here are some questions to ponder as Jerome Township citizens before you cast your vote in November:
● How will the township pay for a new engineer, highway department facility, administration building, a new economic development department, and all of the needed staff that they will have to provide since they will no longer get these services from the county?
● And by further severing relationships from the county, how can the township expect the county to continue furnishing water and sewer as well as police services with a happy heart? Where would be the incentive?
I have already heard from several developers that due to policies sought by the township trustees that favor certain companies over others that are getting Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds for multi-family housing, that they are no longer interested in investing in Jerome Township.
TIF funds were never meant to subsidize family housing, but were meant to entice commercial businesses that would bring in tax revenue from additional jobs in the township.
The lawsuit filed by the county against the township was done because we landowners in the township are now required to sign our allegiance to the township before we even get considered for a zoning change.
That is a “pay to play” requirement, which takes away our property right choices, and it also becomes a deed restriction, which may limit consideration from a developer if they are not considered a favorite of the trustees.
Trustee Wezlynn Davis pledged when running for trustee that she would restore relationships between the county and the township.
Unfortunately, those relationships have never been worse than they are today.
Trustee Barry Adler stated he really wished those relationships could be improved. Trustee candidate William Neumeyer stated, “(home rule) may exacerbate the conflict between the township and county.”
We are actively forming a committee to strongly oppose these efforts to separate our county and township. I am a citizen of both Union County and Jerome Township. Why should I have to choose one over the other? Some things the township does well, and other things the county does well.
Let’s all act like adults and put aside our petty differences and work for the benefit of all Jerome Township citizens.
Fred Yoder is a farmer, businessman, and agricultural advocate in Union County.