What will matter in Marysville in the 2nd half 2025? We break out the crystal ball.
Serving up what matters in Marysville on Friday, July 4, 2025
Welcome to our special “crystal ball” edition of Marysville Matters!
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This edition is a synthesis of what is likely to matter in Marysville and Union County in the second half of 2025
Crystal Ball 43040: The storylines we'll all be talking about
Back in January, I used the New Year's holiday to look into the future and forecast storylines of interest for the first half of the year. How did we do on our predictions for the first half of 2025??
Yesterday, we offered a recap of what happened.
Today, we turn our attention to the next six months.
Editor’s note: If you are interested, I sat down with Good Stuff Marysville's Derek Schwyn to discuss these predictions. Check it out after 9 a.m. Friday morning. You can also confirm your esteemed publisher of this daily missive indeed has a face for radio.
And now….on with the show….
Property tax valuations & potential reforms
County Auditor Andrea Weaver’s office is working on valuations for the next tax year. She says property values will change in all areas of Union County, but her team is working on the exact details.
In August, residents will get a postcard notifying them how to check out the proposed valuation for their property. Residents will have the opportunity to set up a meeting to talk to a staff member about their proposed valuation. And there is an appeal process through the County Board of Revision, which is expected to be very busy next year.
At the state level, petitioners are trying to get an issue on either the November ballot or the ballot next spring that would totally repeal property taxes in Ohio.
While the sentiment of the effort is understandable, the proponents of the repeal have no plan to fund local government services in the absence of a property tax.
Passage of such a proposal will likely face stiff opposition if it makes it to the ballot, similar to opposition that arose during the state budget process, where lawmakers were contemplating the elimination of inside millage.
Growing pains
Growth will be an ongoing storyline for Marysville in 2025. There are so many projects in the pipeline, both on the residential and the commercial front.
By our count, the City of Marysville's new web tracker for local projects lists 3,860 residential units under construction, pending approval or proposed as we move into the summer. That includes both single-family and multi-family units.
A quick list of projects we'll be watching:
Chick-fil-A
DQ
Roosters renovation
Marysville East addition
Hickory Woods
Weaver Ridge
Marysville North
Marysville East
Amazon Data Center
Honda EV Hub $1 billion investment
Water & Light
For some residents, this feels like a lot to swallow all at once. For others, it’s simply a sign of the times and a part of living in the fast-growing central Ohio region. The volume of projects is creating more citizen engagement in the approval process.
Residents have shown up more recently to voice their concerns (both valid and unfounded) about two recent projects.
The Marysville East proposal to annex an additional 300 acres of land to the planned industrial park will be a key matter to keep an eye on between now and the end of the year. Residents in the township have threatened to put a referendum on the ballot. Meanwhile, developers from the New Albany Company have been working recently to work out a compromise on their plan for that area.
Another project to watch closely is the proposed development of the Timberview golf course. Developers have raised the ire of one of the community's most affluent neighborhoods. That project has been tabled after a packed house of neighbors showed up at the City Planning Commission to air their concerns.
ROI on abatements
County officials are pushing for a formula to calculate the overall ROI or benefit of future tax abatements to the community.
This is all part of a revision of the County's Economic Development Incentive Policy (EDIP), in the works since last year.
Local schools aren’t happy with the updates, and we would be surprised if any of Union County’s three school districts signed on to the latest version of policy. Marysville schools adopted a resolution demanding to be at the table for the future incentive package, or it will automatically turn them away.
County Economic Development Director Eric Phillips has engaged several partners, including a crew from Ohio University, to help quantify the benefit of future tax incentives to the community to answer the question, "Are they worth it?"
Mr. Phillips and his team have done a great job attempting to gather feedback from all parties, including the local schools, over the past 8 to 10 months. We'll be watching to see if consensus can be achieved on the new policy.
Road construction in Marysville
So many projects in Union County this summer. The Coleman’s Crossing / Industrial Parkway project is expected to be completed by the time school restarts, but that is dependent on weather.
On US 33, ODOT is replacing the bridges over Waldo Road, Raymond Road, and Northwest Parkway. ODOT plans to keep two lanes of traffic open at all times during the work. Once the bridges are replaced, ODOT plans to resurface all of US 33 around Marysville, but that will be the last phase of the overall project, which is a year or so out in the future.
The US 42/Industrial Parkway rebuild will also cause temporary headaches. Along with that, plans are in the works to replace US 42 from US 33 all the way up to SR 736. Southbound traffic will be detoured. Northbound traffic will be maintained.
The short-term pain of so many infrastructure projects in play all at once will test the patience of local motorists.
Thought bubble: I will say every time I feel slightly frustrated by local traffic congestion, I simply pay a visit to Sawmill Road in Columbus. Now that's real congestion.
Law & Order
Two serious cases will be moving through the Union County Common Pleas Court.
First is the case of Micaiah Swindler, the 27-year-old resident who stabbed his father to death back in April. Swindler has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
The second is the case of Dustin Ohm, who was shot by a Union County Sheriff’s Deputy last month after a domestic standoff. Ohm shot a pistol at a Marysville Police officer at point-blank range during the altercation and missed her head only by chance. He's facing attempted murder charges.
Union County Prosecutor David Phillips recently told a gathering I was at that he can’t recall a time when two highly noteworthy cases were in play at the same time during his tenure.
Both cases will be watched closely moving forward this year.
Local elections: Who is lacing up their running shoes?
Local election season will ramp up in August.
Three at-large seats on the Marysville City Council are up for re-election. The future of the seats currently held by Julie Kramer, Henk Berbee, and Mark Reams will be decided by voters city-wide. City council races are non-partisan.
And residents will also be voting for three seats on the Marysville Board of Education. Board President Bill Keck, veteran board member Dick Smith, and board member Nan Savidge are all up for re-election.
Fire levy issues
Local fire departments are seeking property owner’ approval of additional funds to support their fire departments.
In Jerome Township, the most prosperous area of the county, residents have rejected 5 of the past 7 levy attempts to fund fire safety services. The department is going to be asking for a renewal of its existing levy.
At the same time, the township is exploring whether the numbers work for a public/private partnership to help fund the rebuilding of Station 210 in New California. The plan might involve donated land and funds levied through mechanisms like a TIF or an NCA. We should know more about that in July.
Union Township, which includes Milford Center, is also going through the process of figuring out how much voters will fund to staff the community's fire needs.
City Charter Amendments
Marysville residents will vote on four charter amendments.
The most interesting is an amendment that requires the Finance Committee of City Council to hold an annual hearing on the feasibility of a commuter income tax credit. For residents who work elsewhere but live here, their combined local income tax rates can climb to as high as 3 to 3.5% depending on where they work.
The current 1.5% income tax for Marysville residents was enacted many years ago with the understanding that no commuter tax credit would be offered. The amendment would create a community discussion on the feasibility of such a credit on a year-to-year basis.
Uptown eyesores addressed by the City
It will be interesting to see if the City continues to pursue serious offenders when it comes to uptown eyesores. One particular ownership family has been in the crosshairs of the city.
The City Zoning Administrator will act on complaints about eyesores that are reported.
Meanwhile, the face of uptown will be freshened up with several property owners taking advantage of a city program to help pay for façade and structural upgrades.
And we'll all be interested to see what happens on the site of the former Hometown Auto building on Plum Street--both near-term and long-term. City Manager Terry Emery recently asked City Council members to have an open mind about the possibilities for the site, noting it’s not often a community has an opportunity to transform a central piece of property like this.
Will the City “pave paradise and put up a parking lot?” Or will something transformative happen?
Time will tell.
On the business front
We'll be closely watching the following items:
How will Honda continue to navigate the tariff environment? The automaker’s $1 billion investment in its Ohio EV Hub including local facilities greatly benefits our community and the local workforce. It will allow the automaker to pivot from EV manufacturing to internal combustion engine production, allowing Honda to flex with consumer trends during the longer-term market transition to electric-powered vehicles.
Will a buyer step forward to purchase the land and buildings that Scotts has put up for sale? The company doesn’t need the office space it once did before the pandemic. We’ve seen businesses like Cardinal Health and Nationwide scale down real estate holdings. It’s a quick way to impact the bottom line, and it opens the door for Scotts to potentially invest in a new headquarters building.
And the Amazon data center deal has to be inked. The $1 billion deal was announced this spring, but the abatements and the promised payments in lieu of taxes won’t start flowing until dirt moves and the project becomes a reality.
New school superintendents
Both Marysville and Fairbanks are breaking in new school superintendents for the new school year.
Dr. Zack Howard is still in his honeymoon phase and won’t officially start until later this summer. He brings local gravitas and passion to the district. But he has big shoes to fill.
While not everyone was a fan of Diane Allen, she was able to accomplish quite a bit during her tenure.
Howard will benefit from the emergency levy that was passed by voters in May.
He’s also taking on oversight of preschool services from the Union County Board of Disability, a precarious school funding situation, and will be at the helm of finalizing a facilities strategy for the district.
And, Dr. Howard may be dealing with a shake-up on the school board.
With three members up for re-election and a fourth caught up in scandal, Howard will have his work cut out.
At Fairbanks, Janel Chapman will take over for Adham Schirg. Schirg is leaving the Fairbanks district on the upswing academically and on the backside of a major facilities upgrade.
And both districts have to churn out quality students, which is job #1 for both new superintendents.
What do you think?
Are there other story lines (beside regular pulse checks on Chick-fil-A) that we should be following as a community? Let me know your thoughts.
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-Joe C.