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2:02 PM Monday, December 14, 2009

This could be a historic day for the Butler County and Warren County United Way organizations.

Both organizations’ boards of directors are scheduled to meet this afternoon, Dec. 15, at Butler Tech’s Public Safety Education campus — in separate meetings — to decide whether to proceed with a merger.

Last week’s announcement of the meetings surprised many in both communities because ongoing talk of a more ambitious merger of United Way organizations — of Butler and Warren counties, Dayton and Cincinnati — had collapsed earlier this year.

What is not a surprise is that most United Way organizations — including those in Butler and Warren — have been experiencing difficulty reaching their fund-raising goals in recent years, especially during the deep recession that has only increased the need for services provided by the many notable agencies funded by United Way.

We have looked upon past merger discussions with favor because we believe there are operational efficiencies to be gained — that is, less overhead means more dollars going toward providing needed services. We also know that old community boundaries are less relevant today — as the Interstate 75 corridor between Cincinnati and Dayton coalesces — because more mobile residents live, work and play in many of the communities without regard for corporation lines.

Those factors played a role in the Middletown United Way’s decision in the 1990s to join the Greater Cincinnati United Way. And it’s no secret that a Butler-Warren merger could eventually lead to a marriage with the larger Cincinnati organization.

Those factors, however, do not mean that a merger will be given the green light today by the Warren County and Butler County boards. Both boards reportedly became acquainted during earlier merger talks — setting the stage for the current proposal — but it appears that resistance could be strong in Warren County where some are balking at the Warren board’s effort to expedite the process.

“The Warren County board is doing this without disclosing this to its stakeholders,” Dan Engen, vice president of allocations for Warren County’s United Way, told staff writer Ed Richter last week. Warren County Commissioner Pat South, a former board member, said she’s among those people and agencies “upset” about the proposal and how it’s being handled. “There’s been no communication with them on the possible benefits and ramifications of the proposed merger,” South told Richter. “It’s a dramatic move ... but I think it could backfire. ...”

A merger can be approved by a vote of Butler’s board of directors, but Warren County’s bylaws also require a vote by key constituents — which is where the merger could be rejected. “I am not opposed to a merger, but there needs to be full disclosure to the community’s stakeholders and volunteers,” Engen said.

We agree with that sentiment. While we still consider that a merger of all area United Way organizations would benefit the agencies and simplify fund-raising, and is probably inevitable, the immediate Butler-Warren merger could be injured from the start if Warren County stakeholders feel they have been slighted. If Warren County’s board votes to pursue a merger later today, it appears it will have a big job convincing key constituents that the “hurry-up offense” was the right approach and that the benefits outweigh any hurt feelings and concerns. Stay tuned.

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