Government

Braceville Township employs three trustees, a clerk/fiscal officer, and countless others to provide vital services to each and every resident of Braceville.

 What is a Township?

The oldest form of government in the United States is the township form of government. This level of local government was established long before our current national form, dating back to 1620, when our early settlers established the “town” unit in the Massachusetts Colony. Before Ohio was ushered into the union as a state in 1803, the township form was already well established.

When Ohio became a state in 1803, the elected officials of an Ohio township consisted of three trustees, a clerk, two overseers of the poor, a number of supervisors of highways, justices of the peace and constables. The offices of treasurer and assessor were added at a later time. During the state’s infancy, the township’s role was diverse. The township government cared for the poor, maintained the roads, preserved the peace, registered brands, and fulfilled the needs of local government in general.

Twenty two of the fifty states use townships and each has its own rules for governing the many towns.  There are over 16,000 townships in the US, many smaller and many larger than Braceville.  Braceville’s population is around 3,000 while Hempstead Township in New York is the largest with a population of around 750,000.

Please find information about our administration here.

For your convenience we also have information about our Fire Department, our Police Department, our Road Department, and our Zoning Department.