ADDYSTON, Ohio — Staring down financial uncertainty with the looming exit of its largest company, the Village of Addyston is considering becoming Cincinnati's 53rd neighborhood through annexation.
Addyston officials have until Feb. 7 to formally request to be annexed by the City of Cincinnati — if they're looking for the process to play out on the ballot this November, councilman Seth Walsh said.
"I think the City of Cincinnati has an obligation to be good neighbors and morally, to step up for our surrounding neighbors," he said. "The border between the City of Cincinnati and the Village of Addison is truly just an arbitrary line in the sand."
WCPO 9 News has reached out to Addyston officials multiple times for this story since Friday. As of publishing, we have yet to hear back.
Watch to learn more about how the annexation process works and potential benefits for both Cincinnati and Addyston:
The company at the center of a styrene leak that forced evacuations and closures in Whitewater Township in September, INEOS Styrolution, announced it would permanently close its Addyston plant in 2025.
"When INEOS announced that they were closing, I mean, that is half of (Addyston's) operating budget," Walsh said, speaking on the tax revenue losses facing the village. "I think that's an issue that a lot of villages face these days, is they have a finite amount of income tax."
According to Walsh, of the village's $800,000 operating budget, about $400,000 came as a direct result of taxes paid by INEOS.
"After a thorough analysis, we concluded that the substantial investment needed to continue operations and achieve profitable cost competitiveness makes this site no longer economical," said Steve Harrington, CEO of INEOS Styrolution and INEOS ABS, in an October 2024 press release about the closure. "
The release went on to state INEOS "recognizes the significant impact this decision will have on affected employees and is fully committed to respectfully, supporting them through this transition."
Addyston officials have a few options to mull over beyond annexation into Cincinnati:
- Dissolve Addyston into Miami Township, which boasts a population of more than 44,000 and already provides it fire services;
- Cut operational budget costs or;
- Raise taxes for village residents.
"If they really embrace this moment and grab it by the reins, they can emerge from this so much stronger," said Walsh, who previously explored helping Addyston create a community development corporation.
In November 2024, village council members voted 4-2 to dissolve their struggling police department.
The town subsequently entered into a contract with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, which now provides full-time protection to area residents.
"If they were annexed into the City of Cincinnati, they would have all the city services," Walsh said. "They'd have Cincinnati Police Department, they'd have Cincinnati Fire Department, that have Cincinnati Public (Services), Cincinnati Water — I mean everything city of Cincinnati from a municipality standpoint."
If Addyston officials were to formally request Cincinnati officials to consider annexation, Walsh said the process would play out as follows: the city of Cincinnati would have 30 days to respond "yes" or "no."
If yes, both Addyston's village council and Cincinnati's city council would have to pass ordinances creating a board of six commissioners to negotiate the annexation within 120 days. The commission would then release a joint public report on the annexation's terms.
Both the city and village then have 30 additional days to get the annexation question on their respective ballots.
"The village has to put on their ballot. The City of Cincinnati can opt out of that," Walsh said.
Addyston residents can also pass an annexation petition to get the question on the ballot. Doing so would require at least 25% of resident signatures, according to Ohio state law.
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