LISBON — Properties at opposite corners of the Depot Road and the state Route 45 bypass intersection and a business property along the bypass, all in Perry Township, are part of a 40-plus acre proposed annexation into Salem.

The proposed expedited Type 2 annexation petition of 40.879 acres was accepted for filing with county commissioners on Wednesday, with a decision pending on whether to approve it or deny it.

Property owners seeking the annexation into the city of Salem include Economy Furniture Co., Inc. and McKinney Enterprises of Ohio Limited Co., which includes the McKinney Furniture store, David and Sally Rice who own the property where Homestead Pools and Spa is located, and SFI South, LLC, which owns the former Alchemy Acres site.

The SFI South property along Depot Road stretches from the bypass to Stewart Road. The Economy Furniture site is where the tract touches the city, where the property meets up with the Fresh Mark property, according to the map.

As a proposed expedited Type 2 annexation, the paperwork indicated the territory to be annexed will remain subject to township property tax, which is how Perry Township Trustee Chairman Steve Bailey understood it to be.

Bailey, fellow Perry Township Trustee Jim Armeni and Salem Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey all said they didn’t know the annexation was being filed and Armeni found it disappointing.

“We’re trying to preserve the township and we have property owners in the township making deals without us,” he said.

Armeni said they found out Tuesday, noting “we were not aware that this was coming.”

Now that they do know, he questioned why it needs to happen and said it will cause issues with safety forces.

According to Armeni, Bailey had been in discussions with Dickey about a proposal for economic development purposes, but Armeni claimed she doesn’t seem to want to cooperate and do anything with the township regarding economic development.

“She’s created a toxic work environment with the township,” he said.

Dickey disagreed with his claims and said she’s been working with Bailey and they’re close on an agreement, but were looking for legal advice before proceeding.

“It looks very promising,” she said.

Bailey confirmed that he and Dickey were working on trying to come up with an economic development agreement and getting an attorney who specializes in these type of agreements to meet with them and she was also checking with city council. He was waiting to hear from her and said their last discussion was Jan. 6.

Bailey also said he was optimistic that they were getting somewhere on an agreement that “would have benefitted both the township and the city and made it easier for annexation.”

He also mentioned that this annexation would create confusion over where to call.

As for this particular annexation proposal, Dickey said the owner of the vacant property on Depot Road at the bypass approached the city a while ago about annexation, with plans to build a manufacturing company there.

“We want industry,” she said.

The property owner was told to check with other owners to see if they would be interested, including a property that’s contiguous to the city to make annexation possible.

She didn’t know they had filed the petition or that it was going to be a Type 2 annexation proposal.

In other business, commissioners gave permission for the county engineer to advertise for bids for the county line striping program. Electronic bids will be opened at the engineer’s garage at 9 a.m. June 4.

Upon the recommendation of county Department of Job and Family Services Director Rachel Ketterman, commissioners increased the contract ceiling for the public guardian contract through the senior services levy for Debra Grimm from $1,000 to $2,500 and terminated the 2025 homemaker and home health aide contract with TLC Private Care due to a lack of staffing on the contractor’s part.

The commissioners met in executive session with Ketterman to discuss employee discipline and when they returned approved disciplinary action. Ketterman explained that two employees would receive 3-day unpaid suspensions, with one in the public assistance division for excessive absences and one in the social services division for unsatisfactory case work.

The next meeting of county commissioners will be 9 a.m. May 21 at the downtown courthouse in Lisbon.

mgreier@mojonews.com