Is this the end of Harveysburg? Ohio village could dissolve on Election Day
Harveysburg's troubles aren't over.
Amidst a court battle to keep the Ohio Renaissance Festival from escaping the village and becoming part of Massie Township, some residents would like to do the same, seeking to dissolve the village entirely.
Mike Hatfield, who has lived in and around Harveysburg for 61 years, filed the petition to eliminate the village. He said Harveysburg residents would be better served by the township and Warren County than by the village officials.
“It’s a nice, quiet little town. If we wanted to live like Mason and Lebanon and Springboro, we would move there," Hatfield said. "We don't even have a stoplight. But I have to pay you if I put a fence up? We're not large enough for all these things that we don't want."
The village was founded by William Harvey, a Quaker from North Carolina, and was formally incorporated in 1844. It had a population of 329 around the time of its founding and has since grown to approximately 554 people, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Harveysburg residents also have a mayoral election and two council seats on their ballot, as well as two levy renewals: one for operating expenses and one for police services.
The debate over dissolution
Hatfield said he collected around 108 signatures for the petition to dissolve. He's concerned by new building inspection fees and doesn't feel the council is responsive to residents.
“For a very small town, all of a sudden throwing three pages full of new inspection fees on us is just wrong and they decided to do it anyway. So I said fine then, we’ll dissolve you and you won't have to worry about it anymore," he said.
Christian Foster, one of the candidates running for mayor, shares some of Hatfield's concerns but said he thinks dissolution is a "nuclear option."
"I don't think that village necessarily needs to dissolve in order to completely get rid of the way the council and the mayor's office work," he said.
Foster said he thinks keeping the village as an incorporated municipality is important to get services for residents. He hopes new council members and a new mayor can reinvigorate a sense of community in Harveysburg.
Richard Verga, who's been mayor of Harveysburg for 16 years, decided not to run for reelection this year.
"I refuse to be a ceremonial mayor when somebody else is running the town," he said, referring to his disagreements with councilmember Mark Tipton, who proposed a controversial admissions tax on Ohio Renaissance Festival tickets.
Verga said remaining a village would give Harveysburg residents more local control.
What's happening with the Ohio Rennaissance Festival?
Harveysburg is currently battling a lawsuit from Brimstone and Fire, LLC, the company that holds the Ohio Renaissance Festival. The village received $44,000 from the festival last year, which was approximately 14% of Harveysburg's overall $311,316 revenue in 2022.
In December, Brimstone and Fire filed a petition to detach the festival grounds from Harveysburg in the Warren County Common Pleas Court. Ohio law allows for farmland to detach from a municipality if it meets certain conditions. Harveysburg has argued in court documents that the detachment should not be allowed because it would hurt the village.
The case is scheduled to go before a judge this May. The festival is open through Oct. 29.
What would happen if Harveysburg dissolved?
The village currently sits within Massie Township and would become part of the township's territory. The Massie Township Fire Department currently provides service to Harveysburg, so that wouldn't change. The village would be patrolled by the Warren County Sheriff's Office, Verga said.
Two Clermont County villages, Amelia and Newtonsville, voted to dissolve in 2019 and were absorbed into surrounding townships. Moscow and Owensville in Clermont County recently defeated ballot issues to dissolve.
How to vote
Early voting began in Ohio on October 11. To find your early voting location or request an absentee ballot before Oct. 31, visit voteohio.gov.
To see what's on your ballot, check out The Enquirer's voting guide. Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
Erin Glynn is the watchdog reporter for Butler, Warren and Clermont counties through the Report For America program. The Enquirer needs local donors to help fund her grant-funded position. If you want to support Glynn's work, you can donate to her Report For America position at this website or email her editor Carl Weiser at cweiser@enquirer.com to find out how you can help fund her work.
Do you know something she should know? Send her a note at eglynn@enquirer.com and follow her on Twitter at @ee_glynn.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio Renaissance Festival: Local village of Harveysburg may dissolve
