Library, township identity hot topics at fourth Mars/Adams merger meeting
ADAMS TWP — With other issues already resolved, who the merger will benefit and how became a major question asked during the fourth public meeting on the proposed merger between Mars Borough and Adams Township, Tuesday night, July 27, at the Adams Township municipal building.
“The risk is people that are just going to say ‘no,’ because all they know is ‘no,’” said Adams Township Supervisor Russell Ford during Tuesday night’s meeting. “’I don’t want change. I don’t want to see change. I live in the borough and this is the way the borough's always been, and the answer’s no.’”
Both Ford and Mars Borough Council President G. Michael Fleming took some time to address a list of frequently asked questions from Mars and Adams residents that had accumulated since the most recent public meeting in June. They touched on subjects such as the name of the merged township, the makeup of the board of supervisors after the completion of the merger and what will be done about Mars roads and curbs.
“I’ve seen dirt paths that are actually better than (Mars’ roads),” said one Adams Township resident. “I would hope that those roads get priority to be fixed as soon as possible, because I have to drive through there for various reasons and it’s a real pain.”
A common theme of the “frequently asked” questions and those that were asked during Tuesday night’s meeting were from Adams Township residents who expressed concern that Mars Borough residents would reap all of the rewards from the merger while Adams Township would receive little benefit and lose its name.
Ford reiterated during the meeting, through a PowerPoint slide, Adams would gain access to Mars’ downtown core and parks, as well as ownership of Mars’ water infrastructure and its share of the Breakneck Creek Regional Authority.
During the meeting, Ford reiterated, if the merger comes to pass, Adams Township’s board of supervisors will become the governing body of the new Mars Township, and Mars Borough Council will cease to exist. He added this is simply due to how second-class townships in Pennsylvania are structured. Townships can either have three or five members, not seven.
“Remember, Mars is a borough. Adams is a township,” Ford said. “We have five board members. They have seven. We cannot, as a second-class organization, increase to seven.”
However, the joint agreement does call for a transitional advisory board that may include members of both municipalities.
Ford reiterated that — assuming the merger successfully passes — the new “Mars Township” will do everything in its power to keep the municipal tax rate at 3.75 mills, keeping Adams Township’s 32-year streak of no tax increases intact.
“Our local tax hasn’t gone up since ‘94,” Ford said. “We are so cost-conscious about how we do stuff and how we don't waste money.”
During Tuesday night’s meeting, township manager Mike Tylka announced the question was officially destined for the general election ballot after the Butler County Bureau of Elections officially accepted an amended version of the two municipalities’ joint merger agreement earlier in the day.
“We are all set for the Nov. 3 ballot,” Tylka said.
At least two more public meetings are scheduled regarding the merger before Election Day. Their dates and locations are yet to be determined. One meeting was originally scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, until one attendee in the back of the room pointed out that the Steelers are scheduled to play the Browns that night on Thursday Night Football.
A separate meeting, in addition to the two yet to be scheduled, is set for 6 p.m. Sept. 21 at the Adams Township municipal building and is specifically targeted at the presidents of homeowners’ associations that would be affected by a possible merger.
“It’s probably going to look a lot like tonight,” Ford said. “We’re going to ask them to hopefully pass the word, because they have the ability to get the communication out to their people.”
During Tuesday night’s meeting, Ford teased the possibility of releasing concept renderings of the proposed new Mars library, a joint venture between the two municipalities, which led to the start of merger talks in late 2025. The proposed new library building in downtown Mars would contain a branch of NexTier Bank, as well as a NASA “Discovery Center.”
