Ottawa Township is one of the fifteen 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 Putnam County

Putnam County, Ohio

Putnam County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 34,499. The name is in honor of Israel Putnam, who was a hero in the French and Indian War and a general in the American Revolutionary War. Its county seat is...

, 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 7,961 people in the township, 2,675 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.

Geography

Located in the central part of the county, it borders the following townships:

• Liberty Township
  Liberty Township, Putnam County, Ohio
  Liberty Township is one of the fifteen townships of Putnam County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,575 people in the township, 1,304 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - north
• Van Buren Township
  Van Buren Township, Putnam County, Ohio
  Van Buren Township is one of the fifteen townships of Putnam County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,128 people in the township, 721 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - northeast corner
• Blanchard Township
  Blanchard Township, Putnam County, Ohio
  Blanchard Township is one of the fifteen townships of Putnam County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,232 people in the township, 1,062 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - east
• Riley Township
  Riley Township, Putnam County, Ohio
  Riley Township is one of the fifteen townships of Putnam County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,191 people in the township, 1,003 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - southeast corner
• Pleasant Township
  Pleasant Township, Putnam County, Ohio
  Pleasant Township is one of the fifteen townships of Putnam County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,955 people in the township, 1,755 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - south
• Union Township
  Union Township, Putnam County, Ohio
  Union Township is one of the fifteen townships of Putnam County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,557 people in the township, 1,526 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - southwest
• Greensburg Township
  Greensburg Township, Putnam County, Ohio
  Greensburg Township is one of the fifteen townships of Putnam County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,425 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the central part of the county, it borders the following townships:*Palmer Township - north...
  
   - west
• Palmer Township
  Palmer Township, Putnam County, Ohio
  Palmer Township is one of the fifteen townships of Putnam County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,143 people in the township, 1,007 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - northwest corner

Two villages are located in central Ottawa Township: Ottawa

Ottawa, Ohio

Ottawa is a village in and the county seat of Putnam County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,460 at the 2010 census.-History:In 1792 Major Alexander Truman, his servant William Lynch and guide/interpreter William Smalley were sent by George Washington on a peace mission...

, the largest village in and county seat of Putnam County; and Glandorf

Glandorf, Ohio

Glandorf is a village in Putnam County, Ohio, United States. The population was 919 at the 2000 census.- History :Glandorf was founded by Johann Wilhelm Horstmann and six other men from Glandorf, Germany in 1834. They embarked on the ship Columbus on September 7, 1833 in Amsterdam, landed November...

, which lies northwest of Ottawa.

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.