Matthew Vansuch, Howland Township Trustee

03/30/2026

Administrator James Pantalone has been working on this great project. If you would like a spot, don’t delay.

The Howland Township Board of Trustees, in partnership with Howland Rotary, is proud to launch the […]

01/29/2026

Over the past year, Howland Township has examined the potential impact that changes to and possible elimination of the real property tax system would have on its operations. Much of that was discussed at our special meeting with county and other township officials on September 22 that many of you attended. The administration has continued those conversations, including through meetings with our local state representatives about the devastiating impact that the elimination of real property taxes would have on our residents, businesses, and visitors. And, yes, incorporation as a response, and as a possibility, has been raised. We appreciate Reps. Thomas and Santucci listening to us.

Right now, the trustees and administration are focused on educating you, our residents and voters, about the importance of the real property taxes to the Township and its operations ahead of what we anticipate will be a vote this November to eliminate the primary source of income for the Township.

In response to the proposed legislation on incorporation, Administrator Pantalone sent the following letter to Rep. Thomas. Please take a minute to read it: incorporation is being raised not as a power grab (we like our township form of government) but as a direct response to the efforts to eliminate the real property tax system that funds all of the Township’s operations and provides the high-quality services that you have come to expect.

We have to be having these conversations so that the Township is prepared for whatever comes its way.

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January 28, 2026

The Honorable David Thomas
77 South High Street 13th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215

Dear Representative Thomas,

On behalf of Howland Township, I would like to thank you for your leadership and efforts in introducing and advancing House Bill 592. We appreciate the General Assembly’s recognition that Ohio’s large townships face increasingly complex governance, service delivery, and fiscal challenges, and that the statutory framework governing incorporation should reflect those realities.

HB 592 makes meaningful progress by easing certain thresholds related to incorporation, and we are grateful for the thoughtful work that has gone into modernizing these provisions. However, as currently drafted, the bill does not fully resolve two structural barriers that continue to make incorporation impractical for large, developed townships and, as discussed below, for Howland.

First, this bill retains the contiguity requirement under Section 707.92(A)(5). For long-established townships with existing boundaries shaped by decades of annexations and boundary adjustments beyond their control, strict contiguity can unintentionally penalize communities that are otherwise cohesive, fully developed, and capable of self-governance.

Second, Section 707.30(A) continues to require that a petition for incorporation submitted to the county commissioners contain signatures from 20% of the electors residing in the territory. While citizen engagement is vital and demonstrates that there is a minimum threshold of public support for the issue, this requirement can function as a procedural barrier even where there is clear, public, and transparent support for placing the question before the voters.

This is one of those times, when the proposed elimination of the real property tax system would eviscerate the ability of townships like Howland to survive in their present form, providing high-quality safety and public services to their residents and businesses. We like the township form of government that we have in Howland Township, and we believe our residents do as well. We know that they have vocally expressed their support for these services to us and to you and your fellow legislators, and they do not want them to go away. Given the magnitude of the proposed constitutional amendment, we strongly believe that the people living within Ohio’s townships should be given a choice and know what they are voting for if the proposed amendment passes.

Therefore, perhaps as legislation separate (and uncodified) from HB 592, we are asking for (a) the petition requirement of Section 707.29(A) to be met by the boards of township trustees directly submitting the petition to the board of county commissioners, instead of having to secure petitions signed by 20% of our electors, and that the question of incorporation be placed directly on the ballot if the proposed constitutional amendment is also on the ballot, and then (b) the question before the voters can be an if-then proposition, i.e., “If and only if the Constitutional Amendment is adopted, then we, the voters of Howland Township, vote in favor of incorporation.” (During our meeting on October 31, you indicated that you were aware of statutory language that would allow for such ballot language.)

We understand your concern about increasing taxing districts, but this proposal would not do that. In that spirit, we would however support limiting this alternative petition to only certain townships, whether those that have adopted the limited-home rule form of government under R.C. Chapter 504 or those that are considered urban townships, which are limited-home rule townships with a population of 15,000 or more.

This proposal also demonstrates that the townships are not looking at incorporation as a power grab but as a possible solution to the existential threat that the proposed constitutional amendment would have on the township and that it is our residents and electors – and not the elected officials – who are ultimately deciding their own future form of government and the services that would be provided to them. Our residents have consistently shown support for these services through the regular approval of the real property tax levies that fund them.

To address the first issue, we respectfully ask that you consider statutory language (again, perhaps uncodified) that, under these circumstances, would allow a township to incorporate using its existing boundaries, regardless of contiguity, so long as the territory reflects the township as it is currently constituted on the date of the general election.

These proposals preserve the electorate’s ultimate authority over their local government while ensuring that the decision to vote on incorporation is not foreclosed by procedural hurdles. If the voters are considering state-wide, systemic changes to how local governments are funded, then it is only appropriate that local voters be given a one-time opportunity to have a direct say in how their local government will look going forward, which is fitting as we are now celebrating 250 years of American democracy.

Thank you again for your work on House Bill 592 and for your continued commitment to local government modernization. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss these issues further or to assist with any technical or policy analysis that may be helpful as the bill moves forward.

James T. Pantalone
Administrator

01/26/2026

This is a friendly reminder that both the website (below) and the Howland Connect app (Need Help or Have a Question?) give you the ability to report any storm-related damage to the Township, like a damaged mail box, from the comfort of your home and through your cellphone. Make sure that you select Public Works from the department box, complete the location information and your contact information, and upload a photograph.

01/25/2026

The Public Works department has been out treating and clearing the Township’s 80 miles of roads since before 4 am. They’ll continue to do so throughout the day and evening. During these storms, our priority is to clear major streets and thoroughfares first, including bridges, hills and steep inclines, and school zones. Once these critical areas are addressed, we focus on neighborhood streets, and then we move to cul-de-sacs and dead-ends.

Our Howland Fire Department crews have also been out this morning. You can help them — and yourself — by keeping up with the clearing of your driveway and pathways to your house. If HFD needs to get to you during this storm, doing this will help them and you by saving precious time to get to you.

And, if you don’t need to be on the roads, please stay off of them.

Your real property taxes at work.

When weather hits, our dedicated Public Works Team is ready to work around the clock to […]

11/05/2025

Thank you to my fellow Howland Township residents for passing the road levy renewal and returning Dr LaPolla and I for another term. We are up to the challenge, as we work every day to make sure that you receive the outstanding public services that you have come to expect. Your trust in us is humbling and overwhelming.

11/04/2025

If you currently receive a utility from the City of Niles, as you go to vote tomorrow, please remember that it was your current trustees (Dr Jim LaPolla and I) who negotiated and secured an agreement from Niles that protects you from being forced to annex into the City to continue receiving that utility service. Forced annexation is wrong. We fought against it then, and we’ll continue to fight against it going forward. Fortunately, so long as Dr LaPolla and I are in office, you’ll know that you’re protected under this agreement and it won’t be reversed. I can’t say that for anyone else. Since then, we’ve also shown how it pays off for neighboring communities to work together on economic development.

11/04/2025

Tomorrow is Election Day. We may not be electing a governor, state representatives or senators, or a president and our congressional delegation, but we’re doing something that also directly affects your daily quality of life — local elections. And the most important vote you can make tomorrow is to say yes on the Howland Township road levy renewal. We know you’re concerned about the increase in real property tax payments that you’re making because of the recent increase in property valuations. Trust me, all three of your current trustees are long-time property owners in Howland Township that have seen that increase on our tax bills. That’s why we want you to know that the road levy isn’t a replacement or new levy, so it doesn’t increase your taxes; it raises the same fixed dollars as it did when you first voted for it about 10 years ago. Those dollars go right back into your local township roads. They were used as the local match dollars to get additional funds from the Ohio Public Works Commission to pave more roads this year, i.e, the ones that are being paved right now!

Please, for our community, vote yes for Howland roads!

10/17/2025

HOWLAND TOWNSHIP COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
YEAR FIFTEEN: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

We engage in long-term planning for Howland Township because it directs our actions towards a common goal. That often takes time. With each step, there is progress towards a better community. And sometimes there are leaps, like Kimberly-Clark’s recent announcement that it was purchasing the former Republic Steel property and investing more than $750 million into a one-million square foot advanced manufacturing facility. That transformative project is the result of many moving parts aligning themselves and lots of people and entities doing the little things that add up to more than the sum of their parts.

But none of that would have happened if the property’s former owner had been allowed to cannibalize the site by taking what it wanted and leaving an eyesore along the Mahoning River with no imminent plans for development. Instead, in December 2010, the Board of Trustees adopted home-rule regulations that govern the demolition of structures and the reclamation of lands following structural demolitions. This applies to all properties, residential, commercial, and industrial. Howland Township enforced the demolition resolution and required the property owner to demolish all of the buildings on the property and to return the property to its “green” state. To the former owner’s credit, they complied, leaving the site in a condition where it could be redeveloped by the region’s economic development authorities. This is why we spend the time to plan.

Since the first comprehensive community plan was adopted in 2010, the Board has updated you every two years to let you know how the Township has worked towards the goals and objectives laid out there. This is a measure of accountability to you, our constituents. With guidance from a steering committee from members of the Zoning Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals and public engagement and input, the Board adopted an updated Comprehensive Plan in 2023 that brought forward certain themes and goals from the 2010 Plan and new ones that have arisen since then.

While Kimberly-Clark and the construction of the Diverging Diamond Interchange at State Routes 46 and 82 have generated the most attention in the last two years, that is not all that has been happening. In the next few pages, we are going to highlight the plan themes, goals, and objectives in the 2023 Plan and to briefly describe the steps that we are taking in each.

Frank Dillon
Dr. James J. LaPolla, Jr.
Matthew G. Vansuch

October 8, 2025

https://www.howlandoh.gov/comprehensive-plan/

10/10/2025

And…go. 🏁
Follow the lanes and traffic signals.

10/10/2025

What are my three priorities as I ask for your vote for another term?

1. My #1 priority remains the same: to provide the high-quality services that our residents and businesses expect from Howland Township. I fully anticipate that the system of local government – and how we taxpayers will pay for it – will fundamentally change in the next few years. I pay property taxes like every other property owner, so I feel the pain from the spike in property taxes that was caused by the sharp increase in property values. Howland Township needs experience and knowledge to guide us through the next few years and to ensure that our residents continue to receive those services. That is vital for us and all of our investments. I have demonstrated that experience.

2. Every day, we look to do better at what we do.
(A) It can be the small things, the proverbial blocking-and-tackling. Howland Township has greatly improved its responsiveness to our residents through strategic investments in our administrative operations and adopting new technologies. By breaking down the barriers between our residents and the Township that serves them, we are better able to timely address their concerns. This has shown up in an area important to maintaining everyone’s investments: in zoning and property maintenance, the backlog of cases has been cleared up and our staff is now able to immediately address problems, often on the same day that our residents report them through the website or the Howland Connect app. This means problems are more likely to be resolved, and this means our neighborhoods are being maintained, protecting our investments. On top of that, the information that is submitted gives the Township the data that it needs to make informed decisions and that will support further grants and other requests. We do this by tasking our departments and our employees with finding ways to do their jobs better and more efficiently. They have done so, we will continue to push them to do so, and Howland Township and its residents and businesses will be better for it.

(B) It can also be the big things, like making sure that the Kimberly-Clark project and the Warren-Howland-Warren Joint Economic District made it across the finish line. For sure, that project required lots of people to do their part and for stars to align. We did our part from the beginning, and I’m proud of the hard work that everyone at the Township did to make it happen.

3. We will continue to implement the goals and objectives in our current comprehensive plan to improve the quality of life for our residents and our businesses. This has been one of my priorities from my first term. And I have demonstrated this from day one. (Check it out: the Township has published its efforts and results every two years to keep everyone accountable.) What does this mean?

• It means updating our zoning resolution to adapt to the changing environment and needs while making sure that development works for our entire community, like mixed-use districts and a town center district for Howland Corners.

• It means making our community more connected and giving our residents (both young and old) the ability and the choice to safely walk and bike. Yes, that means sidewalks (we’re going to connect the “sidewalks to nowhere”), and infrastructure changes to slow traffic in our neighborhoods. We do this by investing our local dollars (and using our comprehensive plan for support) to leverage the local, state, and federal funding to make this happen. We’ve done it before (because Howland Township actually invests in a planning department), and we’ll do it again.

• It means fighting for the funding to realign Howland Springs at Dawson Drive to alleviate the traffic problems that currently exist at SR 46 that will only be exacerbated when ODOT closes Howland Wilson Road’s access to SR82.

•It means considering opportunities when they arise. We don’t know what they will be, but our residents should be assured knowing that their Township officials are ready to take them…and to address the inevitable challenges that will also pop up.