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City takes next step in CSU annexation

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XENIA — Xenia took another step forward in its annexation of Central State University, as city council approved a pre-annexation agreement with the university and a memo of understanding for police services.

Both will need to be approved by CSU before they become official.

The pre-annexation agreement generally states that the city will provide the same public services to CSU as other properties annexed into the city such as fire and emergency medical service, professional engineering staff, park and recreation programming, maintenance of any and all public streets, and water and sewer services, among others.

The city will also assume ownership of CSU’s water tower and booster station while CSU decommissions its water treatment plant, according to the agreement.

The MOU for police services states that the university will continue to maintain its campus police department at an adequate level and the city’s police division will provide assistance with calls and investigations through mutual-aid agreements and will continue to provide dispatching services through an existing agreement.

The agreement and MOU were approved 5-1. Council president Mike Engle was absent and council member Dale Louderback voted no, saying the annexation would net the city just $158,000. He also said CSU has been in fiscal watch and had to have around $500,000 in water bills forgiven in the past.

“It doesn’t make financial sense to the City of Xenia,” he said.

City Manager Brent Merriman said that figure was an annual amount, not just a one-time profit. Mayor Marsha Bayless said CSU is on track now.

“The students give money to Xenia,” she said. “We can not punish them for anything that’s happened before.”

The next action could come at the Thursday, Sept. 28 meeting, when staff is expected to present a pair of resolutions to council which address many of the above topics in a broader sense, according to Merriman, and are required by the Ohio Revised Code.

By Scott Halasz

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Contact Scott Halasz at 937-502-4507.