The Cost of Efficiency; Why Ohio’s Plan to Dissolve Villages Could Unravel the Fabric of Rural Ohio
Drive down any state route in rural Ohio and you will eventually pass a sign announcing a village that takes only a few seconds to travel through : a cluster of homes, a fire station, maybe a feed store or a small park named after a local family. These places are not large, and often the nearest stoplight sits miles away. Yet they serve as the spiritual and functional center of the countryside —the place where people vote, volunteer, and meet to face challenges that are often invisible from the cities to the north or the statehouse in Columbus. For generations, Ohio has depended on these small villages as guardians of rural identity. But under new state legislation, many are facing a stark ultimatum: prove you are still capable of operating as a government —or step aside and let the township take over. This transformation is quiet. There are no bulldozers or closed-door takeovers. Instead, each village must undergo a decennial audit , triggered by the U.S. Census. If the community cann...
