Mathews, Young Introduce Bill Simplifying Government Structures Regarding Villages and Providing Village Accountability by the Voters

State Reps. Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon) and Tom Young (R-Washington Twp.) introduced a bill in the Ohio House to create an automatic process for ensuring that villages provide necessary services to their constituents. 

The bill creates an automatic process following each decennial census whereby county budget commissions will audit each of their county’s villages to determine whether each village both provides a majority of defined services due to constituents and fields candidates for elected office. For villages that do not meet these requirements, a question of dissolving the village would automatically be presented to voters at the next general election. 

“This legislation aims to ensure that villages are prudent stewards of taxpayer dollars,” Mathews said. “This bill will both encourage villages to meet the needs of their constituents and simply local tax structures, with voters having the final say at the ballot box.” 

“It’s important that we enact this type of process in our state that will make sure that our villages are delivering good government for Ohioans,” Young said.

The bill awaits its committee assignment and first hearing.