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Warren United Way sets meetings on merger

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By Ed Richter, Staff Writer 9:16 PM Tuesday, January 19, 2010

LEBANON — The future of the Warren County United Way rests in the hands of 205 voting members, who will attend an informational meeting Thursday, Jan. 28.

The voting members, chosen during a Jan. 14 board of directors meeting, will decide Feb. 4 on the proposed merger with the Butler County United Way.

Both meetings, closed to the public, will begin at 6 p.m. at the county administration building, 406 Justice Drive, according to Jonathan Sams, the Warren board’s attorney and spokesman.

Sams said the information meeting will be for the voting members to receive information, get questions answered and have a chance for dialogue with board members.

At the Feb. 4 special meeting, Sams said individuals will have the opportunity to speak up to three minutes to state their position before the vote. Voting members will be able to decide by mail as long as Sams receives the ballot before the Feb. 4 meeting.

He said he expects to have the results that evening.

The board of directors chose the voting members who will eventually decide if the 40-year-old organization will merge with the Butler County United Way and create a new entity to be called the United Way of Warren and Butler Counties, Sams said.

Sams said the voting members include board members, committee and subcommittee members, agency partners and other stakeholders.

Dan Engen, vice president of allocations, said he understood the concerns of several voting members related to the merger.

“Most of who I have talked to are against the merger because they haven’t been provided any opportunity to review a business plan or any formal document giving information related to the benefits of a merger,” Engen said. “My intention is to do what is best for the Warren County United Way.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4504 or erichter@coxohio.com.

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