COLUMBUS Petition against annexation law is deemed invalid

The group has until Dec. 17 to meet the requirements.
By JEFF ORTEGA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS -- Opponents of a new annexation reform law have failed to gather enough signatures to place the measure on the statewide ballot, Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell's office said.
"No on State Control of Property Rights," which had been seeking to put the measure on the November 2002 statewide ballot as a referendum, submitted 225,824 signatures, but only 137,695 were deemed valid, the secretary of state's office said Wednesday.
Criteria: The group needs an additional 63,558 valid signatures to get to 201,253, which is 6 percent of voters in the last gubernatorial election.
Also, in each county the group has to have the signatures of at least 3 percent of the voters in the last gubernatorial election in at least 44 counties. The group met that requirement in 14 counties.
The group has until Dec. 17 to meet the requirements, Blackwell's office said.
Joyce Bushman, who's on the steering committee of "No on State Control of Property Rights," said she thinks the group will gather the additional signatures.
"I think we can accomplish it," Bushman said. "It'll be a big push."
Measure opposed: At issue is a law sponsored by state Sen. Lynn R. Wachtmann, R-Napoleon, which generally gives townships more say in annexation proceedings.
Opponents of the measure, passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Bob Taft earlier this year, say it will hinder municipalities' ability to grow and generate more tax base. Proponents say the new law would make the annexation process more fair.
Postponed: The new annexation law remains on hold until it's determined whether the matter will advance to the ballot, said James Lee, a spokesman for the secretary of state's office. If it makes it to the ballot, the law would be on hold until after voters have their say, Lee said.
Taft signed the annexation-reform bill into law in July. It was to have taken effect Oct. 26, but anti-annexation reform forces filed their referendum petition with the secretary of state's office.
Several municipalities throughout the state are working with anti-annexation reform forces in various ways, including Warren in Trumbull County, Canton and Massillon in Stark County, Kent in Portage County and Rittman in Wayne County.
Law's requirements: The new annexation-reform law requires municipalities to provide certain services to annexed territory in specific amounts of time and to reimburse townships for lost tax revenues on a declining scale during a 12-year period.
Additionally, the new law provides for a streamlined, expedited process for uncontested annexation requests and for those deemed major economic developments.
County commissioners will consider disputed annexation requests, under the new law, based on what is in the best interest of the territory to be annexed and the surrounding community up to a half-mile.
Under the old law, annexation petitions must be approved by county commissioners if commissioners find that all procedural steps were followed, the territory to be annexed is not unreasonably large and the interests of the property owners in the territory are served.
Backers of the new law say it gives county officials more discretion and, in cases of uncontested annexations, can speed up proceedings.