Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Annexation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Whitehouse council approves initial annexation petitions; Waterville Township objects and mediation set
Summary
The Village of Whitehouse council approved initial petitions to annex two parcels (RF Asset, LLC and Travis and Amanda Ratcliff) and forwarded them to Lucas County as required by Ohio law. Waterville Township officials objected and the council agreed to mediation.
The Village of Whitehouse council voted on Feb. 3 to approve two initial annexation petitions and forward them to Lucas County for the next step in the statutory process.
Mayor Rich Bingham opened the meeting and Solicitor (Law Director) Kevin Heban explained the procedural posture: when a petition meets the statutory requirements under the Ohio Revised Code, the village must approve it at this step and transmit it to the county for review; a later permissive municipal ordinance would be the stage where the Village could choose whether to finalize annexation. Following that advice, council moved through second- and third-reading actions and adopted Ordinance 01-2026 (RF Asset, LLC petition 2026-1) and Ordinance 02-2026 (Travis and Amanda Ratcliff petition 2026-2), each passed as an emergency. Both ordinances were approved on third reading by a 5–1 vote, with Councilmember Carrie Touhy recording the sole nay.
Township residents and officials urged the Village to honor an existing annexation agreement with Waterville Township and urged denial of the petitions. Brett Warner, Ryan Miller and Waterville Township Trustee Toby Miller said the prior agreement calls for joint handling of annexation requests and argued the petitions were inconsistent with that agreement. Miller told council he believed the petition had been with the Village since December and said residents feared being forced to connect to municipal water and sewer if annexed.
Solicitor Heban responded that, at this preliminary statutory stage, the Village’s authority is constrained: if petitioners meet ORC filing requirements the Village must approve and forward the petition to the county; the county’s review—and any future permissive ordinance—are separate steps where local considerations and intergovernmental agreements can be raised. After an executive session, council approved a Waterville Township request for mediation and Heban said he would coordinate dates with the township attorney.
Council also adopted related resolutions (Resolution 02-2026 for RF Asset and Resolution 03-2026 for Ratcliff) indicating that, should annexation proceed, the Village would provide utilities and public-safety services; both passed by the same 5–1 margin with Touhy opposed.
The petitions now move to Lucas County for review. If the county approves, a subsequent permissive ordinance and additional local deliberations will determine whether and how properties are finally annexed.
