Merger talk between Westerville, Harlem Township in Delaware County fueled by Intel growth

Harlem Township officials have been discussing how best to preserve their quiet, rural way of life ever since Intel announced plans to build its massive chip manufacturing site just east of the Delaware-Licking County border two years ago.

And now, the township and its closest municipality — the city of Westerville — are announcing plans to merge. Ultimately, according to Ohio law, a majority of voters in each community must agree.

What this means for both communities will be discussed in a series of public meetings. And today, Westerville officials will be given packets of information with details to prepare them for future City Council meetings, said Christa Dickey, city spokeswoman.

Merger, rarely used in Ohio, is less adversarial than annexation, which allows municipalities to forcibly acquire land, typically desired by developers for economic development. The result can be the erosion of township boundaries.

Intel's plant, under construction in western Licking County, is likely to affect traffic, housing developments and shared resources, including water and sewer services. And it has raised various concerns in surrounding communities, including the two potential partners.

"This is all very close to both of us, and we want to have a voice in this," said Dickey.

Open skies and howling coyotes part of rural charm

Harlem Township Trustee Carl Richison said that with Intel's announcement in January 2022, "We realized rather rapidly that we were on the doorstep of Intel and that change was coming. We knew that if we didn't come up with some kind of plan, we were going to lose those dark skies and howling coyotes and connection to nature."

Richison is referring to a rural lifestyle including spacious farmland, quiet nights and natural wildlife habitats.

"We've always wanted to maintain our quiet, little peaceful community," Richison said.

Fearing the loss, trustees sent a consultant to Chandler, Arizona, where Intel's other big chip plant is located.

"We were told the mistakes they made: no grocery stores or gas stations between their homes and where they work. People having to drive 15 miles past their homes for basic services," Richison said.

Even before Intel, Harlem officials knew that Columbus, Galena and New Albany each share a border with the township and that annexation was possible. Merger doesn't require a contiguous border.

Richison said he'll tell his 4,800 residents that a merger with Westerville "may be the only option to protect our way of life. It at least affords us some potential input and control." And for those landowners, including farmers who may want to sell, "I'll tell them: 'Once you've sold your property, we can at least look at the developer and tell them we don't want a bunch of multi-story whatever.' "

The proposal would not affect school district boundaries or their tax levies, Big Walnut or Westerville City.

Parks in both communities would become one system

The merger would create a unified park system. Westerville has an elaborate water park and community and senior centers. The township has mostly open space, requiring minimal maintenance. Upon merging, all residents would have access to the resident rate (and early registration) for parks and recreation programming and facilities.

Police and fire shifting, expanding

Westerville Police would begin patrolling Harlem, which Delaware County Sheriff currently covers. Additional police officers could be hired to ensure adequate coverage.

Harlem Township's 35-member fire department would blend into Westerville's. No jobs would be lost. The township's fire house and EMS station on Route 605 would remain.

Taxes would be complicated, but the township's is sure to rise

Westerville taxes would remain the same. Those in Harlem Township would increase by 3.41 mills, in order to conform to Westerville's current tax rate. This would add about $120 per year for every $100,000 of property valuation. Taxes would first be payable in 2026, if voters approve the measure.

Richison said that higher taxes might be the most difficult aspect of merging to sell, until residents realize that rising costs would happen over time, even without a merger, due to pressure from developers to add more homes.

"All I ask is for residents to get all the facts in line before they make their final decision, without the propaganda," Richison said.

The Ohio Township Association, which represents Ohio's 1,308 townships, is not overly concerned about the news, said Heidi Fought, executive director.

"It's not a very common happening. But it's the whole community (agreeing). You're not separating the identities of the communities," she said. "There's no concern. It's an elected office making an effort to study and recommend … and ultimately residents make the decision."

Fought said she can only recall a couple of other township mergers, in Montgomery and Summit counties, in the past two decades.

Grappling with growth

The city of Delaware recently annexed about 200 acres of farmland in Brown Township but not before fending off a lawsuit and referendum petition drive from residents opposed to unfettered growth.

Other cities have struck agreements to share taxes in exchange for commercial and other development.

In Licking County, residents of St. Albans Township and the village of Alexandria voted in November to form a merger commission to explore the possibility of merging their governments.

The threat of annexation will continue to challenge officials worried about water, land use and overdevelopment. "The risk is that land for farms and families become warehouses," Richison has said. "And Ohio law doesn’t give townships the power to prevent it. Only cities can do that."

Westerville appears willing to participate:“There are still factors to consider but the upside for both communities looks significant,” Monica Dupee, Westerville city manager said in prepared remarks. "Both Harlem and Westerville have a long history of thoughtful community planning that has produced two of the most desirable places to live and work in the region."

“Westerville knows we must take an active role in helping manage the growth we are seeing all around us or we risk our community's health and safety,” said Dupee.

A recent joint FAQ states that a merger "gives Westerville residents more control over their borders where the most growth is expected." The document cites traffic, noise and new development that is out-of-character with the city's models.

Planning and public input needed

Westerville City Council will have its first discussion at 7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall. Township officials have already discussed the merger plans with some residents. A second meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Harlem Road Church, 5520 Harlem Road. More public meetings notices will be posted online at www.westervilleharlem.org.

Each legislative body would need to approve a formal merger agreement by August in order to make the November general election ballot.

dnarciso@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Intel chip factory leads Westerville, Harlem Township discuss merger