Delaware County commissioners approve annexation of 175 acres in Troy Township over township objection

The Delaware County Board of Commissioners on June 4 voted to grant an expedited type 2 annexation petition that transfers 175 acres in Troy Township to the city of Delaware.

County counsel Eric Hostetler told the board the administrative review under Section 709.023(E) of the Revised Code focuses on seven statutory conditions. Hostetler said staff found the petition met filing requirements, the listed signatories are the property owners, the mapped acreage is 175 (below the 500‑acre statutory cap), contiguity and island rules were satisfied, and the city submitted a services resolution. "The statute does not require a date to be specified," Hostetler said, arguing the services resolution as submitted met the condition that a municipal corporation "agree to provide" the services listed in its resolution.

That staff recommendation followed a formal objection filed by the Troy Township Trustees. Doug Price, speaking for the trustees, said the city's pre‑annexation agreement and services documents contain no committed timetable to provide sewer service. "There is no time frame to provide sewer," Price said, adding the city would need a new trunk line costing "millions of dollars" and that the township had not had adequate time to study a shared‑services document it received the night before the meeting. Price also warned a planned roadway extension would route large traffic volumes onto township roads that the township could not afford to upgrade.

Three speakers who supported the petition said the owners and developer favor annexation. Michael Shade, an attorney representing the owners, said the family deliberated for years and supports the transfer; attorney Jill Tangaman, the petition filer, told the board the petition met statutory requirements and said annexation would allow utilities and a school site and enable a cohesive master plan; developer Bill Keith said he had met with Buckeye Valley Schools about a potential elementary site and described the project as a community benefit.

Commissioners Barb Lewis and Jeff Benton said the staff review and cited case law supported approving the petition. After a motion and second, the board approved Resolution 26‑384 granting the annexation; Mrs. Lewis and Mr. Benton recorded "I" votes.

The board's action is a determination under RC 709.023(E) based on the petition and submitted documents; it is not a hearing on the factual claims about when sewer will be extended. The township's objection remains part of the record. The decision transfers jurisdictional territory to the city of Delaware; any future obligations such as sewer infrastructure timing or road projects will be governed by the city's commitments, intergovernmental agreements and subsequent project approvals.

Next steps: the transfer proceeds per the statutory process the board followed; any specific project schedules or capital plans for sewer and roads were not established in the county's administrative review and were not adopted by the board at this meeting.