08/10/2026
We see this far too often…. 🤨
The Ohio Supreme Court just put municipalities across the state on notice: simply calling legislation an “emergency” doesn’t necessarily make it one, especially when that designation stands between residents and their right to referendum.
The ruling came out of Ashville, where the Village attempted to block residents from pursuing a referendum on its controversial data center agreement because Council had passed the resolution as an “emergency.”
The Court said not so fast.
And just a few miles down Route 23, that decision caught the attention of Circleville City Schools parent Ashley Willison.
Circleville is considering an annexation tied to the proposed Scioto Preserve development of more than 1,200 homes, with roughly half of the development falling within the Teays Valley Local School District.
Ashley wondered:
Could Circleville try the same thing?
So she started digging through Circleville City Council’s legislation.
What she found was that “DECLARING AN EMERGENCY” is hardly an unfamiliar phrase at Circleville City Hall. Council has repeatedly used emergency declarations on legislation throughout 2026.
That doesn’t mean every one was improper. Ohio law provides for legitimate emergency legislation.
But it raises a much bigger question with one of the largest proposed residential developments in this area’s history approaching City Council:
Could the 1,200+ home annexation be declared an “emergency” too?
And if it is, what exactly is the emergency?
Because this isn’t merely about getting something done quickly.
Under Ohio law, qualifying emergency legislation can take effect immediately and, critically, can be exempt from the voters’ ordinary right of referendum.
We also have documentation showing developers have requested emergency passage of development-related legislation because of the effect that designation can have on referendum rights.
That is precisely why residents need to ask these questions before the vote, not after it.
Nobody is saying Circleville has already decided to declare this annexation an emergency. It hasn’t.
But after the Ohio Supreme Court ruling, Ashley’s research raises a question Circleville residents deserve to have answered:
If Council eventually calls a controversial 1,200+ home annexation an “emergency,” is there truly an immediate emergency involving public peace, health or safety?
Or would the real urgency be getting it through without giving Circleville voters their chance to challenge it?
This time, residents know what to watch for.
