State ex rel. Butler Township Board of Trustees v. Montgomery County Board of County Commissioners

{¶ 1} This appeal requires us to construe R.C. 709.02(E)’s definition of “owners” in determining the number of owners needed to sign an annexation petition. Specifically, we must determine whether landholders who own the property over which a roadway easement exists are “owners” of the roadway property pursuant to the statute when others seek annexation of the roadway to a municipality. For the reasons that follow, we affirm the judgment of the court of appeals and hold that the landholders of the property at issue in this case are “owners” as defined in R.C. 709.02(E).

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