Alexandria and St. Albans Township merger commission members answer questions about taxes, utilities and gun rights

For many residents of the Village of Alexandria and St. Albans Township, one question has been front of mind: What is this merger proposal all about?

And that leads to a lot of other questions about what a merged community would look like in daily life.

More than 40 residents packed into an Alexandria Public Library meeting room on Monday, Sept. 29, to hear answers to these questions. 

In response to what they said were rumors and misinformation, the St. Albans Township & Village of Alexandria Merger Commission members held an informational meeting to explain what the merger means for residents as they prepare for early voting, which begins on Oct. 7 for the Nov. 4 election. 

Two years ago, a commission of five residents from St. Albans Township and five from the Village of Alexandria formed to discuss the details of a possible merger of the village, population 500, and the township, population of about 2,500. A merger occurred once before in Licking County when Pataskala and Lima Township voters approved a merger in 1996.

The initial conversations about a merger in St. Albans Township began after Jersey Township – located just west of St. Albans Township, east of New Albany and north of Pataskala – saw 3,000 acres of township land annexed into New Albany. This move, according to merger commission member Ann Lodder, sparked serious concern for residents that St. Albans Township land could be annexed in a similar manner, and the community would find it difficult to stop it. 

Commission members met during the past 18 months to investigate the pros and cons, and logistics, of a possible merger. If approved by voters in both the village and township in the Nov. 4 election, it would be the sixth such merger in Ohio history, according to Alexandria Mayor Sean Barnes.

According to a Facts and Questions page on the merger commission website, a township is governed in a limited way by three township trustees and the county government, and it does not qualify for “home rule” that would allow it to enact local rules and laws. That means the township is subject to the decisions of state lawmakers, and the limited powers of township government make it easier for property in the township to be annexed into a neighboring municipality with little say from the community.

The community is “passionately against the development and growth,” Barnes said. “They want to stay rural like this. Are we going to be able to? Not fully, but we can at least do what we can to control it. That’s why the merger seemed like the best way to do it – the strength of being incorporated as a municipality.”

Merger commission members say that three township trustees and the limited power they have aren’t enough to protect the community if and when development pressures build. 

“All it takes is two (trustees) that are specifically aligned to ignore the entire community and do as they see fit,” Barnes said. “With the council, you have seven members. In times like these, where we’re going to experience what is possibly the greatest generational change in the history of western Licking County, I think it’s important to have more voices.”

The merger commission website says that boundaries for police protection, water and sewer services, the school district, mailing addresses and gun and hunting rules would all stay the same. 

Voters will be asked during the fall election to vote for a mayor for the newly merged community, if the merger is approved, as well as a new village council. Three residents running for seats on the new village council, meaning the other three, along with a village administrator, would be appointed.

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The terms of the council members would be four years for the four candidates who receive the most votes, and the candidates who receive the next two highest numbers of votes would serve for two years. This process would start the rotation of council members’ terms, Lodder said. 

Some audience members raised concerns about potential changes in wastewater treatment plans. Barnes said that if the merger is approved, the new municipality would become the designated water and wastewater management agency for properties currently in the township, so it would be responsible for current and future projects. If the merger does not pass, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency will continue to make decisions about which entities provide water and wastewater services. 

Another concern centered on potential fees that current residents of St. Albans Township might have to pay if they are under village government – such as if the village installs a water line along their road, but the residents decide not to tap into the line. Such “frontage fees” no longer exist, the merger commission said, so residents would not be required to pay for new water or sewer lines. And St. Albans Township residents who use well water could continue to use their wells and would not be forced to tap into the village water system. 

Another flashpoint in the merger discussion is whether St. Albans Township residents would be required to pay the 1% village income tax. The answer is yes. They would be subject to the income tax if the merger passes, but the commission pointed out that the tax is on earned income only and would not apply to Social Security or pension income. 

“The income tax and the inside general fund property tax that we all pay, whether you’re village or township, is what will be used to handle roads and bridges and police and administration,” Lodder said. “There’s also some savings, because there will be costs that drop off with a merger – administrative costs that aren’t needed anymore.” 

The savings Lodder refers to include property tax decreases for residents of St. Albans Township if the merger passes. 

In an email, Licking County Chief Deputy Auditor Brad Cottrell said that if the merger passes, taxpayers will pay $357.65 per $100,000 of Auditor Appraised Value. The village could request an additional 0.5 inside mills, in which case taxpayers would pay $372.96.

“If the merger fails, township residents not in the village will pay either $372.96 or $446.89, depending upon the failure or success of the road and bridge levy” on the November ballot, Cottrell said, adding that the tax calculations are based on 2024 estimates and rates, and they are subject to changes in rates. 

Lodder said potential savings in the merger also would include an Ohio Municipal Bridge Program that townships can’t access. The village could tap into that fund for projects in what is now St. Albans Township if the merger is approved. 

“So when you have a $2 million bridge, you’re paying like $200,000 to $250,000 of it, and you’re getting a grant for the rest,” Lodder said. “That helps tremendously.”

Mitch Peters, a candidate for the current village council, helped calculate what the municipal budget would be if the merger is approved. As a construction estimator, Peters said, he believes the estimated municipal budget does not properly reflect all of the expenses for roads and bridges. 

Lodder said she thinks the budget calculated by Peters and township trustee candidate Tad VanNess overestimated the numbers. 

“They did a really good job of getting us some numbers, which we took into account,” Lodder said. “But there are a few things that they seriously overestimated, like what the salary should be for workers.”

As for gun laws and hunting in the area currently outside the village, merger commission members Barnes and Lodder said that the goal is to make no changes. The village would be in charge of the rules, but they said the village leadership would create a map that replicates current hunting boundaries.

“The intent is to keep pretty much a gun overlay. If you can shoot a gun now – legally under Ohio Revised Code – the intent was to make sure you could still shoot a gun legally within the village.” 

The merger commission will hold another informational session on Tuesday, Oct. 7, from 7-8 p.m. at the St. Albans Township Fire Department meeting room in Alexandria.

Maddie Luebkert writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.