Riley 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 2,191 people in the township, 1,003 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.

Geography

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

• 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:...
  
   - north
• Blanchard Township, Hancock County
  Blanchard Township, Hancock County, Ohio
  Blanchard Township is one of the seventeen townships of Hancock County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,170 people in the township, 855 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - northeast corner
• Union Township, Hancock County
  Union Township, Hancock County, Ohio
  Union Township is one of the seventeen townships of Hancock County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,726 people in the township, 1,058 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - east
• Richland Township, Allen County
  Richland Township, Allen County, Ohio
  Richland Township is one of the twelve townships of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 6,090 people in the township, 2,015 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - south
• 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:...
  
   - west
• Ottawa Township
  Ottawa Township, Putnam County, Ohio
  Ottawa Township is one of the fifteen townships of Putnam County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 7,961 people in the township, 2,675 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - northwest corner

The village of Pandora

Pandora, Ohio

Pandora is a village in Putnam County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,188 at the 2000 census. Pandora was originally named Columbia and later changed to Pendleton in 1850...

 is located in central Riley Township.

Name and history

Statewide, the only other Riley Township is located in Sandusky County

Riley Township, Sandusky County, Ohio

Riley Township is one of the twelve townships of Sandusky County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, 1,302 people lived in the township.-Geography:...

.

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.