HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP, PERRY COUNTY, OHIO

In the State of Ohio, each township is a body politic and corporate, for the purpose of enjoying and exercising the rights and privileges conferred upon it by law. Essentially, townships are statutory local governments exercising only those powers specifically delegated to them by the General Assembly or reasonably inferred by the Ohio Revised Code. The Ohio Revised Code states that each township is a body politic, which has been granted specific kinds of authority; some responsibilities are required, some are permitted, and others are prohibited. The ORC uses "shall" for required items, "may" for permitted items, and "may not" for prohibited items.

Townships were the "first form of local government" in Ohio and were plotted according to a basic policy for the survey and sale of public lands. With the formation of the Ohio Territory under the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, these six mile township squares were used as the primary means of establishing local civil governments in the territory. Since the adoption of the 1851 Ohio constitution, the basic form of township government has remained relatively unchanged. Governed by three elected Trustees serving four-year terms, a Board of Township Trustees is the legislative authority and also fulfills many executive responsibilities as well. A fourth elected official, Township Fiscal Officer, is independent of the Trustees, yet by law must work closely with the Trustees. The Township Fiscal Officer's duties include the recording of township proceedings and keeping records of township financial accounts.

There are over 1,300 townships in Ohio today. While they all operate under the basic form of township government, they are quite varied in the size of population, annual operating budget, and range of services delivered to township residents. Townships most commonly provide residents services such as road maintenance, cemetery management, police and fire protection, solid waste disposal, and zoning. For example, Ohio townships have direct responsibility for maintaining approximately 41,000 miles of roads and streets, and townships manage over 1,800 township cemeteries.