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Worries loom over United Way merger

As vote nears, Butler, Warren county members weigh the benefits of a joint United Way.

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By Ed Richter, Staff Writer Updated 9:57 AM Saturday, December 12, 2009

LEBANON — Concerns about meeting local needs are mounting as a vote looms next week to possibly merge the United Way organizations from Butler and Warren counties.

“I think it’s totally the wrong thing to do,” said Jerry Russell, a former board member who has been involved as a volunteer with the Warren County United Way for 39 of its 40 years of existence. “Our United Way is designed to meet the needs of Warren County.”

The United Way boards for Butler and Warren counties will vote Tuesday, Dec. 15, in separate meetings held at Butler Tech’s Public Safety Education campus on Ohio 4 in Liberty Twp. on whether to proceed with a merger.

The Warren County United Way board met in Lebanon for five hours Thursday, Dec. 10, to discuss the pros and cons of the merger proposal.

The possible merger would not include the Middletown area, which is part of the Greater Cincinnati organization, nor the Oxford area, which has its own United Way.

Bruce Jewett, Butler County’s board chairman, said Thursday if the proposed merger between Warren and Butler is successful, he “wouldn’t rule out” a future merger with the Greater Cincinnati United Way.

However, before uniting the Butler and Warren agencies, the Warren County agency’s bylaws require a vote by key constituents, committee and subcommittee volunteers should its board OK moving forward with a merger, said Jonathon Sams, the board’s legal counsel.

“The reason why were considering this as an option is for our constituency,” Sams said. “These are not easy times.”

Benefits include more efficient operations and taking advantage of the “excellent grant-writing ability of the Butler County organization, he said.

Jewett could not be reached Friday evening for additional information on the process for his organization.

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

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