The Ohio Township Association Celebrates Ohio Township Day

Blacklick, OH — With Ohio Township Day taking place Saturday, February 1, the Ohio Township Association (OTA), township officials, and township employees from around the state encourage news outlets and township residents to recognize the value of townships in Ohio. 

The benefits of township government across the state often are overlooked or simply not publicized. Among other facts, the following are true:
•    Townships encompass the unincorporated areas of the state and serve approximately 35 percent of Ohio’s population.
•    West Chester Township in Butler County has the largest population with 60,958 residents.
•    Jefferson Township in Guernsey County has the smallest population with 86 people.
•    Townships maintain more road miles than any other branch of government with 41,000 miles.
•    Townships maintain cemeteries and can provide police and fire protection, parks and recreation, zoning and waste disposal.
•    According to both the 2012 and the soon-to-be-released 2020 Cox Report (Ohio’s Townships: Spending, Taxing & Borrowing Less), townships have lower tax rates per capita and spend less per capita than other local governments.

An upcoming report, entitled Ohio’s Townships: Spending, Taxing & Borrowing Less, provides data that further proves what the 2012 version of the study showed: Ohio’s townships spend, tax and borrow less than their municipal counterparts. The updated study will be released at the upcoming 2020 OTA Winter Conference & Trade Show (which takes place Feb. 5 – 8; the report will thereafter be available on the OTA’s website) and is a useful tool for township officials and staff, as well as for legislators and members of the press. 

To find a certain township’s website, go to Ohio Townships Map. To find out if you live in a township, consult your local auditor’s website.