Government
Board of Trustees and Officers
The West Chester Township Board of Trustees meetings are open to the public. Executive Session begins at 4 p.m., followed by the public session at approximately 5 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at Township Hall, 9113 Cincinnati-Dayton Road. Meeting dates are typically adjusted in November and December due to the holidays. Please consult the calendar.
Public comments, as codified in RESOLUTION 04-2024, are accepted at the beginning and the end of each meeting. Comments are to be directed to the Board of Trustees and not to the audience. The Trustees may respond to comments and questions raised by citizens during the Discussion Items & Elected Officials Comments portion of the meeting. The Board of Trustees will not engage in open dialogue with members of the audience or those offering comment during the meeting.
West Chester Township voters elect three members who serve on the Board of Trustees. They make decisions and set priorities with regard to West Chester Township. Trustees are elected to four-year terms.
Board of Trustees
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Mrs. Becker was first elected in 2017, to fill an unexpired term on the West Chester Board of Trustees.
Ann has been a resident of West Chester since 1999. She and her husband Lee raised three children in the community and is an active community volunteer serving with Girl Scouts, St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, and playing clarinet in the University of Cincinnati Summer Community Band.
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Lee Wong was first elected to the Board of Trustees in 2005. He has a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati and is now retired from the United States Army after 20 years of active duty service having served as a Special Agent for the Criminal Investigation Division.
Lee assigns small government as a significant contribution to West Chester’s success, keeping the community "lean and mean" with relatively low community taxes. Lee advocates for minimal bureaucracy with limited regulations, and a more personal relationship between local government and the community.
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Amanda Ortiz has been a resident of West Chester Township since 2016. She and her husband, Matt, are raising their two daughters, Marie and Ansley, in the community.
Amanda is a veterinarian and works in animal welfare. She earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from The Ohio State University in 2010 and spent six years in private practice. She currently works at a local cat shelter, where her responsibilities include the care, rehabilitation, and placement of abused, neglected, and unwanted animals.
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Board of Trustees Trustee Amanda Ortiz draws a name -
Board of Trustees Saniya Taylor, Lakota West track state champion, with her Certificate of Recognition and Brianna Wooten
Fiscal Officer
Bruce Jones Term: 4/1/2024 to 3/31/2028 · (513) 759-7225
West Chester voters elect a Fiscal Officer every four years. The Fiscal Officer is responsible for keeping the Township's records, oversees and safeguards township funds, and works to ensure funds are managed responsibly. The position offers a system of checks and balances.
Bruce Jones was first elected Fiscal Officer in 2012.
Bruce considers himself as a watchdog over taxpayer money and has worked with the Township's leadership to earn the Auditor of State Award with Distinction for excellence in recordkeeping multiple times throughout his years in office.
Township Administrator
Lisa D. Brown Township Administrator · (513) 777-5900
Township Administrator Lisa Brown provides strategic direction and leadership for West Chester Township’s operations and service delivery. She prioritizes solutions that balance the needs of the community, the organization and its employees, which helps the township provide excellent customer service to citizens and businesses.
During her tenure, Lisa has focused on elevating the township’s workforce through implementation of best practices in training, pay treatment and benefits. She has also worked alongside community partners on projects such as the USS Cincinnati Cold War Memorial Peace Pavilion installation at Voice of America MetroPark.
Lisa previously served as assistant to the city manager for the City of Clayton for almost four years. She began her career with West Chester in 2018 as assistant township administrator and was promoted to township administrator in 2025.
Limited Home Rule
West Chester Township adopted a Limited Home Rule form of government per the Ohio Revised Code. Limited Home Rule allows certain townships of at least 2,500 residents in an unincorporated area to exercise “all powers of self-government,” subject to certain exceptions. Examples of these powers include establishing a police force and enforcing resolutions with fines of up to $1,000.
As a large Limited Home Rule township, West Chester is considered an “urban township” because the unincorporated population is greater than 15,000. This designation provides elected officials in large, city-like townships more tools for governing communities of their size.
Boards and Commissions
The West Chester Board of Trustees appoints volunteer members to several standing boards, commissions and committees who play various and important roles in the operations of the Township.
Board of Zoning Appeals
The West Chester Board of Zoning Appeals is a five-member board (with one alternate) composed of volunteer West Chester residents appointed by the Board of Trustees. The Board of Zoning Appeals acts as an independent appellate board, which hears land use matters arising under the West Chester Zoning Resolution such as variance and conditional use requests. The Board also acts as a final authority regarding interpretations of the Zoning Resolution. The West Chester Board of Zoning Appeals has jurisdiction over the following matters:
- Appeals
- Variances
- Conditional Use/Special Exceptions
- Non-conforming use substitution/extension
- Temporary structures and use
- Property Maintenance Code appeals
Volunteer Firefighters Dependents Fund Board
The Volunteer Firefighters Dependents Fund Board is appointed to review cases in which dependents of volunteer firefighters killed in the line of duty receive financial assistance. Board members evaluate the eligibility of the dependent to receive continued assistance.
West Chester Development Council
The West Chester Development Council is a non-profit corporation representing a public/private partnership between West Chester Township and the private business sector. The Council specializes in marketing West Chester Township to the business community.
JEDD Board
The Joint Economic Development District (JEDD) Board is composed of three members; one representing West Chester, one representing the partnering municipality and one member who is selected by the Township and municipal partner. West Chester has one active JEDD, which is administered through municipal partner - City of Fairfield. The area is located on 43 acres of property at the northwest corner of Cincinnati-Dayton Road and Union Centre Boulevard. The JEDD Board meets twice each year.
West Chester Township Records Commission
The West Chester Township Records Commission reviews applications for one-time disposal of obsolete records and schedules of records retention and disposition submitted by Township departments. The Township Fiscal Officer and president of the West Chester Board of Trustees are part of this commission.