St. Albans Township/Alexandria Merger Commission Meeting

Agenda/Minutes 5/14/25

1. Call to order, pledge of allegiance

Chairperson Carianne Meng calls to Order the St. Albans Township/Alexandria Merger Commission Meeting of May 14, 2025 at 7:01PM.

2. Committee Member Roll Call:  

Baer: Present / Not Present 

Barnes: Present /Not Present 

Burton: Present /Not Present

Lodder: Present / Not Present  

Meng: Present / Not Present 

Robertson: Present / Not Present 

Schiller: Present / Not Present 

Taylor: Present / Not Present

Thorpe: Present / Not Present  

Zanks: Present / Not Present 

Additional Attendees:

Zac Walker, Tad VanNess, David Lees, Mitch Peters, Bruce Lane, Linney Lane, Maddie Wobkert, Rock Robertson, Mike Washington, Ellie Phillips, Marty Cooper, Matthew Burton, Linda Hickey, Joe Hickey

3. Review and Approval of Minutes

Minutes from St. Albans Township/Alexandria Merger Commission Meeting 4/16/25.

Baer made a motion; seconded by Robertson, to approve the 4/16/25 minutes. All in favor?

Chair declares motion failed / carried. 

4. Old Business 


Payments from Village and Township – Village payment received, Trustee meeting last night. Payments in process.
ORC 709.462 outlines the process: the commission will need a collective report that addresses reasoning behind adopting each condition. Meng to create a table of contents for this report if the commission agrees to move the merger to ballot.

5. New Business

Over the past eighteen months, the Merger Commission has worked to evaluate the feasibility of a potential merger between St. Albans Township and the Village of Alexandria. During that time, we’ve carefully reviewed financial data, legal considerations, zoning regulations and much more to better understand how a merger might impact our communities.

Today marks the conclusion of our official work as a commission. At this final meeting, each member will vote on whether to recommend placing a merger initiative on the November ballot.

While the Commission’s formal role ends here, if the vote moves the process forward, we are committed to continuing the conversation with the community. We will host educational sessions designed to provide clear, accurate information and to address questions and concerns from residents. Our goal is to ensure everyone has the facts they need to make an informed decision.

We sincerely thank the residents of both the township and the village for your engagement, your questions, and your patience throughout this process. You have often improved our understanding and research. Thanks, also, to Zac Walker and Plank Law Firm for their feedback, suggestions and partnership. We also want to thank each member of the commission for their time, effort, and thoughtful contributions. It has been a privilege to serve the community in this capacity.

If a majority of members from each jurisdiction (e.g., township and village) agree to the set of merger conditions, the commission must:

• Issue a report that lists the agreed-upon conditions and explains why each one was adopted.
  
  
  
• The commission must certify the agreement and conditions to the board(s) of elections
  
  
  
• The merger question will then appear on the ballot in November. All involved boards of elections will submit the issue to voters and certify the results accordingly.

Commission Member Votes

(Village) Baer: In favor / Against

Village) Barnes: In favor / Against

(Township) Burton: In favor / Against

(Township) Lodder: In favor / Against

(Village) Meng: In favor / Against

(Township) Robertson: In favor / Against

(Township) Schiller: In favor / Against

(Village) Taylor: In favor / Against

(Village) Thorpe: In favor / Against

(Township) Zanks: In favor / Against

General Updates:

6. Meeting Announcements

May 28, 2025 at 7PM, St. Albans Fire Station

7. Adjournment
Baer made a motion; seconded by to Burton adjourn.
All in favor? Chair declares motion carried / failed. 

Chairperson Meng declares the meeting adjourned at 7:17PM.