HARLEM TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WCMH) – Many Harlem Township residents were shocked to hear of a potential merger with the City of Westerville Wednesday. A community meeting Thursday night gave them the opportunity to ask questions of the Strategic Planning Committee.
The merger details have not been negotiated, but Township Trustee Carl Richison confirmed there is mutual interest from the township and Westerville.
Harlem Township is a 26.5 square mile piece of land that lies between New Albany, Westerville and Sunbury. The 2020 Census shows just over 4,500 residents. Richison said that number is now right at 4,800.
The merger idea came from a two-year strategic planning committee that was put together by Township Trustees after the announcement of Intel bringing massive development to nearby Licking County. Most of Harlem Township land is a short drive from the Intel site.
“We’re right in the heart of it. So we know Harlem township has a bullseye on it,” said Richison.
He knew they needed to be proactive after looking at the impact a similar Intel development had in Arizona.
“I decided to Google Earth Chandler, Arizona Intel. And when I saw what I saw, it scared me. It was house, house, house, house, house, as far as the expanse could see,” Richison said.
The township believes finding a partner like the City of Westerville will give them the ability to negotiate zoning structure, whereas a potential annexation would give the township no say.
Richison said the way of life for families and residents in Harlem Township has largely remained the same over the years. It’s a mostly rural area with lots of farmers and older residents who grew up in the area.
“To have a coyote running in my backyard is no big deal. Deer in my backyard is no big deal. Farmers, we have tractors going down the road. My grandkids watch the airplanes crop dusting the fields in the summer. We’re just a small community and that’s what we always were and that’s what we wanted to stay. I want to be able to go out in my backyard and shoot my gun. I want to be able to go out in my backyard and hunt deer. I want to be able to ride my ATV to my neighbor’s house. Those simple things,” he said.
Those values drove him to seek a partnership with a city that would allow them to keep that feel for their community. But when it comes down to brass tacks, he wants the township to be proactive before they don’t have a choice.
“Up until the time that we sign the agreement, and it goes to the voters, this can be stopped. Whereas if it was an annexation, we have no control,” Richison said.
For lifelong resident Allen Fling, the news of a merger came as a bit of a shock.
“It really kind of snuck up on us,” he said.
With Intel and other developments, the writing was on the wall for some type of change.
“You could see it coming. We’ve seen it coming here for years. The main thing with the merger is I think we have got to just live with what we get. Either you say yes and let it come in, or say no and just let everybody else come in,” said Fling.
A community informational forum was held Thursday night at Harlem Road Church. The church sanctuary was packed with people, many of them with questions about the merger and how it would impact their lives.
Many speakers shared a similar opinion, that they live in Harlem Township by choice. Low taxes, little government interference, and the right to do as they please were all mentioned throughout the meeting.
For Fling, he knows too well that change is coming for his family.
“I live, as the crow flies about a mile and a half or two miles from the Intel plant, where I live personally. And I bet there isn’t a week goes by that I don’t get a flyer in the mail from some realtor wanting to buy my land. It’s family land. My dad bought that little farm out there in the 1930’s,” he explained.
A merger could impact the taxes on Harlem Township, having to incorporate Westerville and their existing tax code.
“With the rise in taxes they’re talking about, I don’t know how long I can hold on to my farm at all. We’re just trying to keep family homes out here, they’re taxing us to death,” said Fling.
There will be another informational meeting for residents at Harlem Road Church on Wednesday March, 6 at 6:30 p.m. Westerville City Council will address the merger for the first time during their regularly scheduled meeting on March 5.
If the merger is passed by the Westerville City Council and Harlem Township the item will go to a vote. Voters in both jurisdictions will have to pass the merger by a simple majority in order for the merger to be completed.
Richison said, if there’s one thing he asks of Harlem Township residents, it’s that they find out the facts before rushing to a decision about the merger. At earliest, the merger could be up for a vote on the November ballot.