Fairfield Township is one of thirteen townships in Butler County, Ohio, United States. It is located in the south central portion of the county. The population was 22,645 at the 2020 census. Before annexations by the cities of Hamilton and Fairfield, it had an area of about 50 square miles (130 km2).
Name
Fairfield Township's name is reflective of the gentle topography in the township. It is one of seven Fairfield Townships statewide.[3]
For a brief period in 1994 and 1995, the township was incorporated as the City of Indian Springs under a special law enacted by the Ohio General Assembly, but it reverted to township status when this law was declared unconstitutional by the courts.[5]
Geography
Located in the southern part of the county, it borders the following townships, cities, and villages:
Because the course of the Great Miami River has changed since its borders were fixed, some of the township is now west of the river. The lowest point in Butler County, elevation 520 feet (160 m), is in the township, where the Great Miami River crosses the county line, the township's southern boundary.
Government
The township is governed by a three-member board of trustees, who are elected in November of odd-numbered years to a four-year term beginning on the following January 1. Two are elected in the year after the presidential election and one is elected in the year before it. There is also an elected township fiscal officer,[6] who serves a four-year term beginning on April 1 of the year after the election, which is held in November of the year before the presidential election. Vacancies in the fiscal officership or on the board of trustees are filled by the remaining trustees.
Because of proposed annexations by the city of Hamilton, state representative Michael A. Fox on September 29, 1994, secured special legislation that allowed the township to incorporate as a city under the name Indian Springs. On December 29, 1994, this law took effect and the new city was born. (Also on that date, the city of Fairfield was withdrawn from the township.) However, the courts struck down the law on December 20, 1996, and Indian Springs reverted once more to Fairfield Township, but the City of Fairfield remained outside the township.[citation needed]
Bert S. Barlow, W.H. Todhunter, Stephen D. Cone, Joseph J. Pater, and Frederick Schneider, eds. Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio. Hamilton, Ohio: B.F. Bowen, 1905.
Butler County Engineer's Office. Butler County Official Transportation Map, 2003. Fairfield Township, Butler County, Ohio: The Office, 2003.
A History and Biographical Cyclopaedia of Butler County, Ohio with Illustrations and Sketches of Its Representative Men and Pioneers. Cincinnati, Ohio: Western Biographical Publishing Company, 1882. [1]
John Kieswetter. "Indian Springs name sticks: Township had moment as city". The Cincinnati Enquirer. November 17, 2003 [2]
