What is open and closed in 43040 on Juneteenth? Marysville East annexation vote postponed. A local tax "disaster" could be in the making at the State House. And County Fair Board members speak up
Give us a few moments and we'll serve up what matters in Marysville on Thursday, June 18, 2025
In this edition, sponsored by 2nd Chances Thrift Stores:
It's Juneteenth. What is open? What is closed?
Marysville East annexation and zoning vote to be tabled until next month
A local tax "disaster" is in the making if state lawmakers have their way
County Fair Board members chime in on recent rumblings
10 million and counting: An easy way to save yourself a trip to the BMV
But first, a word from our sponsor
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It's Juneteenth. What's open? What's closed?
Most government offices are closed today to observe the Juneteenth holiday.
City and Union County offices are closed, as are other government-related functions, like the OSU Extension Offices. The Union County Health Department is closed. And there is no mail delivery today.
Juneteenth is a fairly new federal holiday, adopted in 2021 to recognize the end of slavery in the United States.
Many banks will be closed, too. Most will be back open for business on Friday. But at the same time, many privately-owned retailers will remain open.
It might be a good idea to call ahead before you go.
Marysville East annexation vote to be tabled until July
Representatives with the New Albany Company have requested Marysville City Council table a vote for the proposed annexation of 306 acres of land in Paris and Dover Township until July.
The annexation and zoning legislation was the topic of public comment at the Council's last meeting, with neighbors asking the developer to push pause on its efforts to add the land to the Marysville East industrial park.
City Council members asked representatives of the New Albany Company to meet with neighboring residents to work through the issues before coming back and asking for a final vote.
At the last meeting, neighbors to the property who live in the township threatened to try to block the annexation at the ballot box. A recent change to the City Charter expands the window from 30 to 60 days for petitions to be circulated to ask voters to decide on zoning or annexation issues. That charter amendment would be effective in this case.
Experts in growth and development have a term for the opposition.
It's called NIMBY.
That's short for Not In My Back Yard. It's a common theme in fast-growing areas.
Residents rejected a proposed housing development in 2023. The Stillwater Farms project was cancelled after that action.
Residents in Jerome Township have attempted to use the ballot box to try to block development.
In one case, they lost after it was determined that a referendum unjustly overruled the property rights of the owners who wanted to develop. The same statute does not apply in the Marysville East annexation because, in this case, the city, not a township, is on point for the zoning.
Local tax revenue “disaster” imminent if “inside millage” goes away
In the next two weeks, state lawmakers could make a move in state budget talks that may set forth chaos at the local government level across the state.
Lawmakers are hammering out the final version of the state budget for the next two years, and one of their main goals is to demonstrate progress on property tax reform.
One particular proposal being debated behind closed doors is the elimination of what is known as “inside millage.”
What is “inside millage?”
For the past century, Ohio law has allowed local governments to collect unvoted property tax millage to provide a sustainable stream of revenue to cover the cost of local government services.
What if it went away?
Were “inside millage” to be eliminated, it would blow a $10.3 million hole in the Union County annual budget, or about 28% of the revenue the county depends on every day. That’s about how much it takes to run the Sheriff’s Office.
What would it mean for local government services?
“It’s something everyone is thinking about,” said County Commissioner Dave Lawrence. “But with ‘inside millage’ [potentially] going away, it’s really going to affect the county.”
“I agree property tax reform needs to happen,” said Commissioner Tom McCarthy. “It just can’t be reckless. You have to pay your bills.”
County Administrator Bill Narducci is concerned about the potential impact on discretionary services.
“Obviously, with one-third of your budget being removed, projection-wise, how do you look at that?” Narducci asked rhetorically. “There are things we are statutorily required to fund, so you are talking about removing deputies off the road, potentially?”
One thing the County is required to fund is the court system.
“The judges have a little bit more ability than other offices to require funding for certain things,” Mr. Narducci stated. “Those are very, very difficult conversations if that is the route this continues to go.”
Mr. McCarthy noted that the elimination of revenue that counties have relied on for years could create chaos.
“The legislature needs to recognize they are creating one heck of a train wreck,” he said. “You’re trading a worse problem for the problem you have. You need to deal with property tax reform, but this is not the way to do it.”
Mr. Lawrence noted lawmakers are pushing the idea to mitigate efforts by a citizen-led group to place a complete property tax repeal on the November ballot.
“If it gets on the ballot, I would assume it would pass,” he said.
“Elimination of it without a replacement source of revenue is a disaster,” McCarthy added.
Union County Fair Board seeks Commissioner support in words and funding
Union County Fair Board members showed up in force at the Union County Commissioners meeting on Wednesday.
The Board members were on hand to ask for the Commissioners’ support of the fair and were questioning why a presentation was made at the June 11 meeting about the pros and cons of combining the County Fair with the Richwood Independent Fair.
“We were a little blindsided by that because we had no idea that was going on,” said board member Michelle Kuhlwein of the presentation. “We want the public to know that we have a good fair. We were taken aback by the fact that the commissioners have taken such a notice of the fairgrounds when the Union County Ag Society owns 100% of it. We are run by sponsorships, gate [admissions], donations and volunteers.”
Kuhlwein called the publicity 30 days before the fair was a “setback.”
Commissioner Tom McCarthy said it was an unfortunate turn of events in terms of the timing of the presentation.
“There was no subterfuge. There was no ‘Hey, let’s bring these people in so that we can do something to hurt the fair.’ That was not the intention,” Mr. McCarthy said. He actually issued an apology for some off-the-cuff remarks he made in response to the presentation.
Kuhlwein wants the public to know the idea to merge the fairs was not the Union County Fair’s idea, nor did she believe it was the Richwood Fair’s idea.
“Both fairs like each other. We get along very well. However, neither one of them wants [to combine],” she said, citing the Marysville Matters poll where 62% of respondents said they were against a merger.
“This was not our idea, and we just want to get that out there, so the public knows. We need to figure out how we are going to co-exist for the future and where the Commissioners stand.”
Commissioner Dave Lawrence appreciated the interaction.
“We certainly don’t have any kind of grudge,” he said. “It was just an information session.”
“We don’t tell the press what to print,” McCarthy said. “In the context of that meeting, you would have heard a lot of positives, especially relative to the Junior Fair and frankly our Board’s concern and commitment to making sure that happens.”
Fair board member Meg Jenkins asked if the Commissioners could provide more funding support to the fair.
“Ask us at the end of the year,” Mr. McCarthy said, telling the Fair Board members about proposals that state lawmakers are considering. “There are two proposals that would be devastating to local units of government… We can’t look you in the eye and promise you because we don’t know where our revenues are going to be.”
The Union County Fair starts on July 20 and runs through July 26 this year.
879 junior fair participants have signed up with nearly 1,200 exhibits.
Ms. Kuhlwein also emphasized the Fair Board isn’t just a one-week-a-year event.
“We do what we do all year long so we can have the week of the fair,” Kuhlwein said. “Every weekend in September is booked with people coming in, which brings tax dollars. It is more than just the week of the fair.”
Brake defect prompts Honda recall
Honda is recalling 260,000 vehicles in the U.S. due to a faulty brake pedal.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the defect can cause the pedal to shift out of position and hinder braking.
The company is recalling certain 2021-2025 Acura TLX, 2023-2025 Acura MDX, and 2023-2025 Honda Pilot vehicles, NHTSA said.
OPLATES makes renewing registration a breeze
June is the month that I renew the vehicle registrations for all of my vehicles. I used to dread “doing the deed” at the local BMV. In the past several years, I have simply used the online option. This year, I even ordered a new plate for one vehicle.
It appears those of us who use the OPLATES option aren’t alone. The state announced this week that the online option has saved Ohioans more than 10 million trips to the BMV thanks to technology upgrades that allow certain transactions to take place without an in-person visit.
Since 2022, Ohioans have been able to renew their driver’s license or ID cards online at the BMV website. 608,00 Ohioans have used the online option.
"We've put significant focus on using technology to save customers' valuable time and cut down on congestion at BMV deputy registrar locations across the state," said Governor DeWine. "This milestone demonstrates the importance of these upgrades, which have made BMV services more accessible and efficient."
Here’s a link to check out all the other ways you can avoid a trip to the BMV.
Thanks for reading Marysville Matters!
Earlier this week, I unintentionally shared a dead link to the website for local businesses that may want to step up and help sponsor the Milford Center Labor Day Darby Dash Festival. I updated the link, but wanted to make sure daily email subscribers have the correct information if they are interested in pursuing the opportunity. Here's the correct link.
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A big thank you to 2nd Chances Thrift Stores in Uptown Marysville for sponsoring today's newsletter!
Have a great Thursday!
-Joe C.
