Decatur Township is one of the twenty-two townships

Civil township

A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...

 of Washington County

Washington County, Ohio

Washington County is a county located in the state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 61,778. Its county seat is Marietta. The county, the oldest in the state, is named for George Washington. Washington County is included in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, West Virginia-Ohio...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The 2000 census

United States Census, 2000

The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

 found 1,181 people in the township.

Geography

Located in the southwestern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:

• Wesley Township
  Wesley Township, Washington County, Ohio
  Wesley Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Washington County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 915 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the far western part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - north
• Fairfield Township
  Fairfield Township, Washington County, Ohio
  Fairfield Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Washington County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,011 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the western part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - northeast
• Dunham Township
  Dunham Township, Washington County, Ohio
  Dunham Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Washington County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,505 people in the township.-Geography:...
  
   - east
• Belpre Township
  Belpre Township, Washington County, Ohio
  Belpre Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Washington County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,192 people in the township.-Geography:...
  
   - southeast
• Troy Township, Athens County
  Troy Township, Athens County, Ohio
  Troy Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,712 people in the township, 2,184 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - south
• Rome Township, Athens County
  Rome Township, Athens County, Ohio
  Rome Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,400 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the eastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:*Bern Township - north...
  
   - west
• Bern Township, Athens County
  Bern Township, Athens County, Ohio
  Bern Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 519 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northeastern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - northwest corner

No municipalities are located in Decatur Township.

Name and history

Statewide, the only other Decatur Township is located in Lawrence County

Decatur Township, Lawrence County, Ohio

Decatur Township is one of the fourteen townships of Lawrence County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 839 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northwestern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...

.

Government

The township is governed by a three-member board of trustees, who are elected in November of odd-numbered years to a four-year term beginning on the following January 1. Two are elected in the year after the presidential election and one is elected in the year before it. There is also an elected township fiscal officer, who serves a four-year term beginning on April 1 of the year after the election, which is held in November of the year before the presidential election. Vacancies in the fiscal officership or on the board of trustees are filled by the remaining trustees.