As western Licking County experiences rapid growth, two communities are considering a merger to protect rural life and maintain influence over local developments.
This November, residents will vote on a proposal to merge the Village of Alexandria with St. Albans Township. The merger aims to give St. Albans greater control over development, a challenge many municipalities face due to limited authority to manage or halt projects. The merger commission argues that combining the two entities would allow St. Albans more say in its growth.
“The unfortunate truth is change is being forced on us from a state and federal level. Now is our chance to get ahead of that change to gain control of our situation,” said Jeff Baer, a member of the merger commission and an Alexandria resident.
In Ohio, municipalities are classified as cities, villages, or townships. Cities and villages have home rule rights, allowing them to govern themselves rather than rely solely on state and county authority. While larger townships can qualify for limited home rule, St. Albans falls short of the required 2,500 residents.
Despite Alexandria having just 20% of St. Albans’ population, its status as a village provides more protections. Merging into a village would grant St. Albans home rule authority, reducing reliance on county governance and making land annexation from a village more challenging.
The merger commission highlighted that, had Alexandria and St. Albans merged before October 2022, concerns about a potential wastewater plant would have been handled differently. Without home rule, decisions regarding the plant fall under Licking County Commissioners’ jurisdiction rather than the township’s.
In 2023, 60% of St. Albans voters and 79% of Alexandria voters supported creating a merger commission to explore the benefits of merging. The commission, comprising five representatives from each municipality, unanimously decided to place the merger on the ballot after nearly two years of research.
“We knew that if all of this development was going to come, the only protection we have is zoning,” said Alexandria Mayor Sean Barnes, who also serves on the commission.
Barnes noted that zoning in St. Albans is largely controlled by major landowners who benefit from limited local government involvement in zoning and annexation. He pointed out that the 18,000 acres zoned for commercial use in St. Albans exceed the commercial zones of several other Licking County municipalities combined.
If the merger is approved in November, the two communities would unite as a new Alexandria, governed by an elected mayor and six council members. The new village would operate under Alexandria’s laws, with exceptions to protect St. Albans residents’ rights to hunt, maintain existing agricultural structures, and choose their water services.
A significant change would include extending Alexandria’s 1% earned income tax to St. Albans residents to fund the new government. Fiscal estimates suggest that the new tax revenue will cover approximately 90% of the additional expenses from the merger.
“While New Albany says that it is not growing beyond Mink Street, there is no guarantee of that and my taxes to Alexandria will be less than paying taxes to New Albany,” said Ann Lodder, a St. Albans resident and commission member.
Barnes stated that the commission’s recommendation to merge is driven by a commitment to preserving the area’s rural character. Despite potential drawbacks, he and the commission believe merging is the best way to maintain the community’s identity.
St. Albans Trustee Bruce Lane declined to comment in his official capacity but encouraged residents to thoroughly research and understand the merger. He expressed concern about voters losing autonomy due to well-funded campaigns by small groups.
“Control your destiny a little bit,” Lane said. “Not saying we’re trying to stop development, just make sure that it’s done right.”
The commission warned that growth will accelerate faster than another merger opportunity could arise. If the ballot measure fails, a citizen-initiated merger cannot be proposed again for five years.
Lane urged St. Albans and Alexandria residents to attend the next St. Albans trustee meeting on Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. for more information. Residents can also review the merger commission’s full recommendations online.
