Mason vs Deerfield township (school district, pros and cons, income)

[oliver6323]

Can someone please tell me the difference between living in Mason and Deerfield Township? They both go to Mason schools but can people in Deerfield Tsp take part in Mason town activities etc?

What are the pros and cons?

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by oliver6323

Can someone please tell me the difference between living in Mason and Deerfield Township? They both go to Mason schools but can people in Deerfield Tsp take part in Mason town activities etc?

What are the pros and cons?

First of all, not all of Deerfield Twp is in Mason schools. Portions are in Kings Local Schools and portions in Princeton schools.

For the portion of Deerfield Twp which is in Mason City Schools, these are the main differences.

Living in the Twp., you would not pay Mason City Income Tax. But if you work in another City jurisdiction which collects an income tax, you would pay them. A large percentage of Mason residents work in another jurisdiction with an income tax exceeding Mason's, so I feel this is about a wash. Some of what Mason offers, such as the Municipal Center, outdoor pool, etc. would cost more to be a member, as you would have to pay the non-resident rate.

All school activities would be the same, as these are determined by the school district policies, independent of the political jurisdiction.

Mason does have a number of city sponsored events which do not charge a fee. These are open to anyone. The 4th of July celebration was suspended in 2011 due to fiscal concerns. I hope it returns this year, but am not sure it will. I like it because they shot the fireworks off a couple of hundred hards from my back yard.