Village President Presses Dexter Area Historical Society on Cityhood Objection

With speculation of a third attempt for cityhood in the future, Dexter Village President Shawn Keough reached out to members of the Dexter Area Historical Society (DAHS) to clarify the village's proposed city boundaries at the society's meeting Thursday.

"I came here tonight to tell my story and maybe hear a side of your story that I haven't heard," Keough said.

Referencing the state Boundary Commission's , Keough said he was "shocked" that members of the DAHS openly objected to the village's second cityhood petition, after which it was

"We did not write the proposal in an unfriendly manner to the historical society nor were we being malicious in any way to Gordon Hall, Webster Township or the historical society," he said. "We were just trying to be consistent with the rules of contiguity and incorporation."

At issue is whether land in the village's agreement to share tax revenues with Webster Township, including Gordon Hall, can be included in the proposed city boundary.

Keough said he felt betrayed by the DAHS, which he said he has personally helped on numerous occasions, including serving as master of ceremonies for , a recent fundraising activity for Gordon Hall that raised $20,000.

Paul Bishop, a member of the historical society, said the society appreciates Keough’s efforts but said they have no bearing on the village’s petition.

"Is this a quid pro quo?" he asked Keough.

Dexter officials submitted their original petition to the state on Nov. 6, 2009, and were initially turned down because of what the State Boundary Commission determined to be an “insufficient legal description." Three sections of the village's original petition—the old village, the Westridge subdivision and The Cedars of Dexter—didn't touch each other.

On April 12, 2010, the council voted to resubmit the petition and changed the boundaries to include Gordon Hall and the back half of the property so all the new city corners meet. The new boundaries square off the corners and make them contiguous.

"We didn't hear any complaints from the historical society back in June when Webster filed their objection," Keough said.

Bishop said the historical society never received a formal letter of intent from the village about its intention to seek cityhood a second time.

"The only thing we ever responded to was articles in the newspaper," Bishop said.

In a previous interview, Bishop explained that the Gordon Hall property is currently divided between Scio and Webster townships, yet the village’s petition brings only Webster Township’s portion into the proposed city boundary.

“Both townships have an agricultural easement on the property because they gave us money to purchase the property,” Bishop said. “There is no provision to be bought out of the easement, so if the village’s petition was approved, we would be dealing with three different municipalities every time we wanted to plan something at Gordon Hall."

Keough said he would like to organize a meeting with DAHS and Webster Township officials before moving forward. He said he would also like to review a resolution that the DAHS passed in 2008 affirming that Gordon Hall remain within the boundaries of Webster Township just as it has since the early 1800s.

"If all of this concern is because we did not send a formal letter, I'm disappointed in how divided we actually are as a community," Keough said.