These 58-plus acres are connected to two other parcels — all three amounting to 185 acres of contiguous farmland owned by the Welch family. Working with potential buyers of this land, Tecumseh Land Trust aims to place one or more conservation easements on the farms, keeping it agricultural in perpetuity. (Submitted photo)
Rescinding previous offer, Township Trustees now commit $50k to land trust
- Published: May 31, 2025
The Miami Township Trustees again turned discussion at their recent regular meeting Monday, May 19, to setting aside funding to help local nonprofit Tecumseh Land Trust fund conservation easements on farmland just outside the village on Dayton-Yellow Springs Road.
Ultimately, in a pair of 2–1 votes, the trustees voted to rescind and replace a resolution passed earlier this month.
As the News previously reported, on May 5, the three-member board voted 2–1 to approve a resolution committing $127,419 from its general fund to partner with TLT to acquire conservation easements on the Welch farmland within the township’s boundary.
That resolution’s passage followed much discussion, and sometimes disagreement, between the trustees and the general public on whether or not the Township could reasonably afford to use the entirety of its general fund reserve of $92,000 for the commitment.
That disagreement was still in the air as Trustee Marilan Moir, who voted against the May 5 resolution, brought forth new resolutions aimed at making a reduced commitment of $50,000 to TLT and preserving the majority of the reserve funds.
As in past meetings, Moir expressed unease with committing the entirety of the Township’s general fund reserve to TLT, noting that the Township has budgeted about $266,000 for projected operations in 2025.
The replacement resolution she brought forward modified the resolution previously passed by moving some money from operations sub-funds and reducing the draw from reserves, leaving the Township with reserves of $66,500.
Citing legal opinions from the Township’s legal counsel firm and the Office of the Greene County Prosecutor, Moir said: “If the trustees would like to give away the entirety of their general fund reserves — every penny of cushion we have to give away — we are absolutely entitled to do that. It doesn’t mean it’s wise.”
However, Trustee Chair Chris Mucher argued that, based on the Township’s currently reported operations spending of about $57,000 for the first third of the year, he projected the Township’s total operations spending for 2025 to be about $171,000 — about $95,000 less than what has been budgeted.
Moir said she believed that projection to be unlikely, as the Township has routinely spent more than $200,000 annually over the last several years, and costs are rising.
Mucher also said he believed that rescinding the resolution would fly in the face of long-established trustee values; stating that trustees, in years past, “were almost always farmers,” he said: “A farmer’s motto is, ‘A promise made is a promise kept.’ … We made a promise, and we need to keep that promise.”
He added his view that, should the trustees change course on their commitment to TLT by lowering their financial contribution, Miami Township “very well may be labeled the flip-flop township in the county.”
“Our fellow townships, villages and counties are not going to be able to trust us to partner with them on future beneficial projects if they believe we might back out two weeks later,” he said.
Moir read a letter to the trustees from TLT Executive Director Michele Burns thanking them for partnering on the potential conservation of the Welch farmland.
“It would have been ideal for the Township to contribute its original pledge of $113,000,” the letter read, “but we’re grateful for the support you can comfortably provide. TLT is committed to this project and will continue to raise money to bridge the gap between the original pledge and the $50,000 being proposed. It presents its own challenges for TLT, but I’m confident we will navigate them and be successful in protecting the property.”
Moir moved to rescind the previous meeting’s resolution; te motion was seconded by Trustee Don Hollister, who previously had voted with Mucher to approve the full $113,000 commitment to TLT.
After seconding, Hollister said the letter from Burns, and discussion with other community members, directed his decision to support rescinding and replacing the previous resolution.
“I think a significant part of the community is enthusiastic about this, and will rise to the occasion to make up the gap that we will leave after withdrawing from our previous commitment and, I hope, adopting a second resolution setting a $50,000 commitment,” Hollister said.
The resolutions to rescind and replace the previous resolution passed 2–1. In voting his dissent to both resolutions, Mucher said: “I don’t want to put Tecumseh Land Trust in the position of not being able to count on the funds from Miami Township, because they could be withdrawn next meeting. I don’t want to get their hopes up.”
TLT has been working to secure one or more conservation easements for the Welch farmland — so known colloquially because it was owned by the late David Welch — which is currently up for sale. The land trust has been working to make arrangements with local farmers to purchase the Welch farmland, which Hollister has said in past meetings has long been identified as a priority for greenspace preservation by both the Township and the Village.
Annexation discussed
As the News reported last week, Village Council recently voted in favor of entering into a development agreement with area property owners Matthew and Julie Jones, whose 84-acre property within Miami Township lies just outside of village limits. Under the terms of the development agreement, the landowners plan to work with the Village to annex their land into Yellow Springs within the next year.
With that in mind, several neighbors to the Joneses were present at the Township meeting to express their concerns before the trustees about the possible annexation and development.
“We have a lot of concerns across the spectrum and we’d like to have more visibility on what’s going on over there,” said Mike Breza, whose land is near the Joneses’ property. “In particular it seems like the consensus of opinion right now … is that we would not like to have Miami Township give up this land.”
Hollister pointed out that, according to the Ohio Revised Code, Townships don’t have the final say on whether or not land within a township is annexed into a contiguous municipality.
Particularly in cases of expedited annexation, which the Joneses intend to pursue, Townships may offer objections to or comments on a potential annexation before county boards of commissioners, but can’t approve or deny an annexation.
“We could take a position opposing it, which would be my inclination, but you folks reaching out now to individual county commissioners would have as much, or more, influence,” he said.
According to ORC 709.024, county commissioners can deny an expedited annexation of township land based on an opposition from the relevant township, but only on grounds that the annexation does not meet statutory requirements.
Ohio law requires county commissioners to approve an annexation petition if it satisfies the requirements of law, which include that all owners of the land to be annexed sign the petition; that the land be contiguous with the municipality into which it would be annexed; and the neighboring municipality receives transfer of the land and extends utilities and services.
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