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Jersey Township asks Pataskala to consider reciprocal non‑annexation and notice agreement
Summary
Rob Flatt, Jersey Township administrator, asked Pataskala City Council to consider a cooperative non‑annexation agreement modeled on New Albany’s CEDA that would protect township land, add a reciprocal detachment clause and require 30‑day notice of border development proposals.
Rob Flatt, Jersey Township administrator and resident, told the Pataskala City Council that Jersey Township is asking the city to enter a reciprocal cooperative economic development and non‑annexation agreement similar to one Jersey has with New Albany. "We're simply asking you to recognize that Jersey Township has a right to exist in the land that it has," Flatt said, adding that the township has enacted a TIF and is extending water and sewer service to support planned development.
Flatt said the township’s CEDA with New Albany, enacted Oct. 15, 2024, includes development‑plan review without veto and, most importantly to Jersey, a non‑annexation commitment. He asked Pataskala to consider a comparable agreement that would cover the unincorporated portions of Jersey Township along the shared border — roughly to State Route 310 — so the township can plan without the recurring threat of losing land to annexation.
Council members asked whether the township had financial incentives to offer. Flatt replied that Jersey "doesn't have something to trade" and emphasized that the request is aimed at stability and mutual cooperation. He said the draft he provided includes two principal parts: (1) a non‑annexation area and (2) a notice provision that would give Pataskala 30 days' notice of development or rezoning requests along the border so the city may weigh in.
When asked whether Jersey would accept a reciprocal clause preventing detachments out of Pataskala, Flatt said yes. "I would be 100% for adding a reciprocal clause," he told council members, and offered to meet again at the council’s second April meeting to answer further questions.
Why it matters: a formal agreement would change how Pataskala and Jersey Township manage near‑border development, affecting land‑use planning, utilities and future annexations. Flatt noted Jersey has active utility projects — including a water and sewer extension from Lincoln Heights High School to Jersey Baptist Church — that reduce the usual incentives for property owners to seek annexation into a city.
Next steps: council members asked staff and counsel to review the draft and return the item for future consideration; Flatt said he would supply a revised draft to city staff.
