In February 2005, a group of concerned citizens worried about Centerville possibly annexing the Dille farm, achieved a temporary Annexation Freeze by collecting enough signatures to get a Merger Study issue (Issue 8) placed on the Bellbrook and Sugarcreek ballots on November 8, 2005.  A majority vote in both the City and Township would have begun the Merger Study process and kept the Annexation Freeze in place. 

On Election Day 2005, the Merger Study issue was passed soundly in the City of Bellbrook but it failed by 22 votes in Sugarcreek Township.  The defeat of Issue 8 in the Township not only ended the effort to have a Merger Study, it also ended the temporary Annexation Freeze.  According to Ohio law, another Merger Study issue could not appear on the ballot for at least 3 years.   

Guess what happened next?  In February 2006, Centerville annexed the 270 acre Dille farm including several Sugarcreek businesses located at the corner of Wilmington and Feedwire.  These annexations by Centerville will result in Sugarcreek Township loosing more than $1,000,000 dollars per year in local taxes.  Also, the loss of the landmark Dille home and farm damaged our "Sense of Community".

In May 2008, enough signatures were collected to get the second Merger Study issue (Issue 9) on the ballot in November 2008.   This time, the Merger Study was passed overwhelmingly in both the City of Bellbrook and in Sugarcreek Township.  In addition, 10 candidates were elected to the Merger Commission (5 representing the City and 5 representing the Township).

The Merger Commission will now begin the study.  All meetings will be open to the public.  When the study is finished, the Merger Commission must make a recommendation for or against a merger.  A statement of conditions of merger must accompany any recommendation to merger.

If the Merger Commission makes a recommendation favoring merger, the question would be put to the voters in November 2010.  If the majority of voters in the City and the majority of voters in the Township approve it, a merger would take place.