[0:00] August the 30th. Prior to officially
starting a meeting, we always invite
[0:04] local clergy to come and lead us in
prayer. This morning, Pastor David
[0:08] Tennant is here from Owensville
Methodist Church. He is a regular and we
[0:12] really appreciate you taking time out of
your day to do this.
[0:15] » My pleasure. Thank you. Let's be in
prayer. Heavenly Father, uh we thank you
[0:21] for this day and I'm reminded not only
as a pastor but also a person um out of
[0:29] Proverbs. This is the day that the Lord
has made. We will rejoice and be glad in
[0:34] it. And again, as a pastor, just a
person attending funerals. Um we do not
[0:41] know how many days we have. And I've
always been and maybe all of us have
[0:47] been amazed at people that have passed
uh and maybe all of them before they
[0:53] seemed ready or we seemed ready for
their passing. Uh even finalizing plans
[0:59] for my own grave and gravestone. Uh what
a sobering time. But all that's also the
[1:06] reality of how we spend this day knowing
that um we're only given so many hours
[1:14] and so that we will rejoice in that
more than be happy. Happy is kind of
[1:20] superficial but joy is deep. So that
this day and whatever days that God has
[1:26] for us in our job, in the decisions that
are reached this morning in this room,
[1:32] in our jobs and what we will be doing,
that we will find joy in this day and in
[1:39] again the number of days that you may
have for us, knowing that in this life
[1:44] we may also through you find eternal
joy. We ask this in your name. Amen.
[1:50] » Amen.
>> Amen. And now to officially start a
[1:53] meeting. Commissioner Bachelor, would
you lead us in the pledge?
[1:56] » Thank you
to the flag of the United States of
[2:00] America and to the republic for which it
stands, one nation under God,
[2:06] indivisible, with liberty and justice
for all.
[2:11] » Again, thanks for being here with us
today. We'll start our regular agenda.
[2:15] Meeting's been called to order. and
we'll go to letter B, which is approval
[2:19] of regular session minutes of 7:23 2025.
Board, you've had these minutes early
[2:24] and had an opportunity to review them.
Are there any needed changes in these
[2:28] minutes?
>> No.
[2:30] » Hearing none, I'd ask for a motion to
approve the minutes.
[2:33] » I'll make the motion to approve.
>> I will second.
[2:35] » It's been moved and second. Roll call.
Gail.
[2:37] » Commissioner Bachelor.
>> Yes.
[2:38] » Commissioner Corkran,
>> yes.
[2:40] » Commissioner Payner,
>> yes. Uh, letter C is a proclamation for
[2:44] designation of August 2025 as child
support awareness month in Claremont
[2:49] County
[2:58] » and it is Theres.
>> Yes, it is.
[3:00] » Hi, thank you.
>> Thanks for being here this morning.
[3:03] » Absolutely. Proclamation for child
support awareness month August 2025.
[3:08] Whereas parenting and support go hands
go know go hand in hand ensuring that
[3:13] children grow up safe and healthy. You
know that is a profound statement. No
[3:18] question.
>> And children and families stay out of
[3:21] poverty. Our children are our most
precious resource and by investing in
[3:25] them we secure a future of hope and
opportunity for all of us. And whereas
[3:30] ensuring the children receive the proper
support they deserve involves working
[3:35] partnerships between county, state, and
federal agencies, parents, legislators,
[3:40] judges, health care professionals,
advocacy groups, and many others. And
[3:45] whereas more than 10,000 Claremont
County families benefited from more than
[3:49] $30 million in child support monies
collected in fiscal year 2024.
[3:55] And whereas the vision of Claremont
County Department of Job and Family
[3:58] Services, division of child support is
that children can count on both parents
[4:03] for the financial, medical, and
emotional support that they need to stay
[4:07] healthy, successful. And whereas the
purpose and mission of the Claremont
[4:11] County Department of Job and Family
Services, Division of Child Support are
[4:16] to enhance the well-building of
well-being of children, assuring that
[4:19] assistance in obtaining support
including financial medical is available
[4:24] to children by locating parents,
establishing paternity, establishing
[4:29] support obligations, monitoring and
enforcing those obligations. Whereas
[4:33] during child support awareness month, we
all recognize parents who are deeply
[4:38] committed to their children's success.
Our children's lives count enough to
[4:42] make every possible effort to ensure
that a solid foundation is established
[4:47] for every child in Claremont County. Now
therefore, we the board of county
[4:51] commissioners do hereby and here on
declare the month of August 2025 as
[4:56] child support awareness month. And it's
signed by all three commissioners and I
[5:02] just want to present this uh
proclamation to you for child support
[5:07] awareness and all.
>> Thank you so much. Thanks for everything
[5:10] that you do.
>> Thank you so much.
[5:12] » And the podium.
>> Okay, just a few short comments. Thank
[5:15] you so much, Commissioner Payne.
>> I now type everything in large print.
[5:24] So, hello everyone. Good morning,
commissioners. I'm Teresa Ellison. I'm
[5:27] the deputy director of the Claremont
County Child Support Agency. I want to
[5:31] thank the commissioners for recognizing
August as child support awareness month
[5:34] in Claremont County. We appreciate this
opportunity to let the community know a
[5:39] little bit more about the services we
provide free of charge and some of the
[5:44] things we are doing in August for Child
Support Awareness Month and recognition
[5:48] for some of the awards we've recently
received due to my staff's hard work. Uh
[5:53] this is also an opportunity to thank our
partners, Juvenile and Domestic
[5:58] Relations Court, Common Police Court,
the Prosecutor's Office, the Probation
[6:02] Department, and the Sheriff's Office for
helping to provide the families in
[6:06] Claremont County with the child support
they so richly deserve. Claremont County
[6:11] CSEA is able to provide the following
services to county residents. We help
[6:15] parents to establish paternity, which is
establishing the legal connection
[6:19] between a father and a biological child.
to establish both child support and
[6:23] medical support orders, to modify those
orders when appropriate, and to collect
[6:27] and enforce the child support
obligations. In federal fiscal year
[6:31] 2023, RCSEA received two major awards
from the state office for our
[6:36] performance as a large county versus
other counties our size in Ohio. We
[6:41] received the award for best aers
performance and for best overall
[6:45] performance, which takes into
consideration four performance
[6:48] categories. paternity establishment,
support establishment, collections on
[6:53] current support, and collections
honores. I am so proud of our staff and
[6:57] all of the hard work they do during the
year. Annually, we collect about $30
[7:02] million in child support, service
approximately 33,000 individuals,
[7:06] including over 13,000 children. This
year to celebrate child support
[7:11] awareness month, our office plans to
hold a team like a fun lunchon for our
[7:15] staff on August 12th to share
information about child support on our
[7:19] website and the county social media
pages to pass out sticker calendars and
[7:23] several more things. We're also wearing
green, which I appreciate the green
[7:27] ribbons today on August 6th in
recognition of child support awareness
[7:31] month and we're encouraging everyone to
do the same. Thank you so much for your
[7:35] time and for the chance to talk about
this very worthwhile program that helps
[7:39] so many families and children in our
community. Thank you.
[7:43] » And Teresa, before you leave the
program, would you introduce those who
[7:46] are with you today?
>> Absolutely. I have well, of course, you
[7:49] guys already know Dorothy Meyer. She is
my boss and a good good one she is. Um
[7:55] Crystal Brown, she is my admin assistant
and also a supervisor. She supervises
[7:59] our clerical staff. Michelle Stroop,
she's our lead attorney. Uh, and then
[8:03] Shauna Johnson back there, she is our
one of our supervisors and Toby Contra,
[8:09] she's also a supervisor. So, and they
work really hard. So, I really
[8:13] appreciate it.
>> Thank you all.
[8:14] » Thank Thanks to you and for all that you
do also.
[8:18] » Thanks so much and for those awards.
>> Yeah, you bet.
[8:20] » Very much.
[Applause]
[8:25] » And would you guys honor us with a
picture with the Claremont County Board
[8:28] of Commissioners?
>> Sure.
[8:39] Navy. You guys always look so
[8:52] there
[8:58] » shoulder
shoulder.
[9:18] Everyone look here. We'll go in three,
two, one, and one more. We'll go in
[9:23] three, two, one.
>> I thought you said one more.
[9:29] » I got you.
[9:37] smiling.
>> Thank you so much.
[9:40] » And thank you, Commissioner. Thank you
so much.
[9:44] » That's okay.
[9:54] » You guys don't have to leave. I mean,
it's going to get really interesting and
[9:57] entertaining.
Yeah. Money to collect.
[10:01] » Money to collect.
>> Yeah,
[10:04] » absolutely.
>> Oh, that's great. We're at Letter D. We
[10:10] have a presentation from Hannah Louvers.
She is Adams Claremont Solid Waste
[10:15] District 2025 solid waste management
plan. So, if you didn't know, uh she is
[10:20] the director of our Adams County and
Claremont County solid waste district.
[10:24] So, Hannah podium's your
>> morning. Good morning. Thanks for having
[10:27] me. You may be wondering what a solid
waste district is. Um, and hopefully I
[10:31] can clear some of that up for you today,
those of you that are here to listen.
[10:36] Um, so we're working on our 2025 solid
waste plan. And this is a 15-year plan.
[10:42] We have to revise this every 5 years.
And part of the plan, we have to address
[10:48] certain goals. Those goals are dictated
by the state of Ohio. And some of those
[10:53] goals consist of ensuring that there's
waste capacity, so there's enough
[10:57] capacity in the landfill for garbage. Uh
obtaining 25% waste reduction and waste
[11:03] diversion. And that can look like
recycling, composting, or reusing
[11:07] materials. And then there's several
goals that address education and
[11:11] outreach. And you can view the plan at
oeq.net/pl.
[11:15] It's 266 pages, I believe. So there's an
executive summary in there. Um, also if
[11:21] you want to read maybe just some of the
appendices, I would recommend appendix O
[11:26] and appendix I. And then if you have a
little more time, appendix H. There's
[11:31] the financial summary there. Um, as well
as just an outline of the specific
[11:35] programs.
[11:42] There we go. So, I mentioned that we are
governed by the state of Ohio. So, we
[11:47] have to follow their state solid waste
plan. And then we also have to follow
[11:50] the format that they develop for our
solid waste plan. They revise that
[11:54] format every once in a while. Um the new
plan that we are working on now is
[11:59] following a new solid waste state
format. And so there's several goals in
[12:04] there that are new to us and we address
those goals in the plan. We're governed
[12:09] by a board of directors which consists
of the county commissioners for both
[12:13] Claremont County and Adams County. We
meet quarterly and they're responsible
[12:17] for implementing the solid waste plan.
And then we also have a district policy
[12:22] committee which has 15 members and
they're responsible for drafting the
[12:25] plan. So ensuring that the programs that
we have and the programs that we include
[12:30] in the plan are going to meet those
goals required by the state. Our
[12:34] district policy committee has 15
members. We have various representatives
[12:39] from different agencies including public
health industry, the public and a
[12:44] representative to the county
commissioners, the trustees, the
[12:48] Claremont County Commissioners appointed
representative is John Mcmanis.
[12:54] So some of the existing programs we have
we are going to continue in our solid
[12:58] waste plan the 2025 version. We have a
recycling drop off program and that
[13:03] helps us obtain that 25% waste
diversion. In 2024, we had 26 sites drop
[13:11] off locations in the county and that
diverted 696 tons of recycling. Also
[13:17] have a roadside litter and tire
collection program. We partner with
[13:21] municipal court and help fund that
program. In 2024, they removed 774 Well,
[13:27] they removed over 46 tons of trash from
774 miles of roadway. And that number
[13:33] does not go down um every year. It kind
of fluctuates, but it's around the same
[13:37] amount. So, just encourage folks to use
the trash cans while they're filling up
[13:43] their fuel at the pump and not throw
things out the windows. And also even go
[13:47] beyond that and if you see a piece of
trash on the ground, pick it up, throw
[13:50] it away so it doesn't blow around.
We have scrap tire management programs.
[13:55] This is another thing we are required by
the state to manage difficult to manage
[13:59] wastes. So we help with tires. We have a
program for township service crews. If
[14:05] they encounter and even the county
engineers if they come across dumped
[14:08] tires along the roadway, we have a
location for them to take those tires
[14:12] and then we make sure they're recycled
property properly. We have an annual
[14:17] scrap tire collection event for
residents. This year we're holding that
[14:21] at the Claremont County Fairgrounds on
September 12th and 13th. That goes from
[14:25] 8 am to 2 PM. And there is a fee for
that. That's a requirement of the grant
[14:29] that we have that helps fund the
program. It's a dollar for per tire,
[14:34] most truck tires, and then if you have
semi tires or tractor tires, it goes up
[14:37] from there, but it's a still a big
discount um from what you would pay at
[14:41] the tire retailer. We also have a
operate a transfer facility in Adams
[14:47] County. Some other programs that we run,
we help organize and run some various
[14:53] river and waterway cleanup events,
litter cleanup events. We have a school
[14:58] waste reduction program where we have we
contract with an educator. So, there's
[15:02] just two staff, but we do have um a
contract with two agencies, one in
[15:07] Claremont, one in Adams County to go and
do outreach programs. And we this year
[15:13] received or helped Maruk Elementary in
Gan receive a grant to reduce their
[15:18] waste. And part of that was to do a
lunchroom audit on their waste. And
[15:23] during that audit, we found that only 3%
of what they were generating was
[15:27] actually trash. The rest was recyclable,
liquid, or food waste. So there was 100
[15:32] pounds of food waste that was generated
during one lunch period. And um that was
[15:37] 48% of what was generated in waste. So,
by looking at this, we can figure out
[15:42] how the school could potentially donate
some of that food. Some of it's not
[15:46] usable, but some of it is. You can
recover some of it and donate it um and
[15:50] potentially reduce their trash bill. We
offer support to institutional,
[15:56] commercial, and industry. And that can
look like outreach programs. We can do
[16:01] waste audits. We can help them get some
recycling containers for inside of their
[16:06] building. and then we can help them
develop waste and recycling contracts
[16:09] and hopefully reduce their waste bill
and also get more services. We also have
[16:14] our hands in um emergency response if
there is debris generated from an
[16:19] emergency like a flood or tornado. For
example, this April we were down at the
[16:23] Ohio River and assisted with the cleanup
of that. There were seven debris
[16:28] locations that we had and this was
mostly garbage for this event. Some
[16:32] events like a tornado, you get more
woody and vegetative debris. Um, but we
[16:36] had over 126 tons of garbage that was
mostly material pulled out of residents
[16:41] homes and some of that was collected
along the waterway as well.
[16:47] So, some of the new programs that we're
instituting in our plan are requirements
[16:51] of the new goals that Ohio EPA has in
their new state plan format for
[16:56] industry. We're required now to offer
three programs. And one of those
[17:00] programs we started a few years ago
actually just anticip in anticipation of
[17:04] this requirement and we started the
pollution prevention internship. So we
[17:10] work with industry we can fund 75% of an
internship a summer internship for it's
[17:17] usually a college student or a senior
that's graduating and they'll work on a
[17:21] project and they've worked with Milacron
and Hamilton Safe so far and that's been
[17:25] pretty successful.
We also are required to expand our
[17:29] outreach programs. So, not just working
in schools, but making sure we're
[17:32] hitting community institutions,
um, businesses, and residents. And that
[17:37] could look like just simply helping them
with signage. Um, giving them some
[17:41] signage to put on materials that they
have, but it could also look like
[17:44] audits, waste audits. Um, school waste
reduction. We're continuing that
[17:49] program, but we're also now required to
follow community-based social marketing
[17:53] practices.
And part of that includes picking a
[17:57] specific goal. And so we've chosen to
focus on food rescue since schools do
[18:02] generate a lot of food. They're required
to offer food to students and a lot of
[18:05] times it's not eaten. So we can recover
that food and send it to pantries and
[18:09] things like that. So we're helping
schools maybe get a share fridge or
[18:13] share table, things like that um to help
keep that food, that perishable food
[18:18] good enough to go to donations. And then
one of the programs I just wanted to
[18:22] highlight because I think it's really
interesting is our end of the year
[18:24] school recycling program. Um we've had
that for a number of years but it keeps
[18:28] growing. We worked with 12 schools this
year and basically at the end of the
[18:31] year the teachers have a day maybe to
clean out their classrooms and they
[18:35] throw everything out and there's a lot
of stuff that's in there that's still
[18:39] good and usable. So this year we
recovered over a ton of materials. We
[18:43] give the schools containers and they
throw it in the containers and then we
[18:47] have a day where we get a lot of
volunteers to help. We go through
[18:50] everything. We test each individual
marker and um see what works and what
[18:55] doesn't. And whatever has worked is
donated to some nonprofits and the rest
[18:59] is recycled. And that those kind of
materials like empty um glue sticks and
[19:03] markers, they can't be put in your
curbside recycling. So, we have a
[19:06] specialty recycler that we work with to
recycle those materials. And then
[19:11] because food waste and organic material
takes up about or is 14 to 22% of what
[19:17] is landfilled, we are focusing a little
bit on expanding organics processing
[19:22] infrastructure. So helping maybe in
terms of grants to facilities that are
[19:28] going to have a food waste composting
facility or collection system and we'll
[19:32] start doing that in 2027. We have some
funding set aside for that.
[19:37] But the thing I'm most excited to talk
about is our new special item recycling
[19:42] center. And I'm really pleased with this
program because for so many years when
[19:47] residents have chemicals or old
batteries and things like that they want
[19:51] to get rid of. A lot of times if it's
chemicals we have to send them to
[19:54] Cincinnati. We would give them a voucher
and it would pay for disposal at
[19:57] Environmental Enterprises. And that's a
long drive. So it's always been a little
[20:02] inconvenient. Well, then they changed
their collection hours to Tuesday and
[20:05] Wednesday 8:00 a.m. to or 7:00 a.m. to
11:00 a.m. So, that's even more
[20:10] inconvenient for residents. So, now we
have a location where residents can
[20:14] bring their batteries, their e-waste,
fire extinguishers, pesticide,
[20:18] fertilizer, pool chemicals, and the only
item that we're charging for is
[20:22] televisions because that those are a
little more expensive to recycle. We ask
[20:27] that residents do make an appointment.
My contact information is at the end of
[20:31] this and it's on our website as well.
Um, and just that we there's just two of
[20:35] us there. So, if we're not in the
office, we want to make sure nothing's
[20:38] being let left left out on the ground
because it is chemicals and things like
[20:42] that. So, it's been pretty successful so
far. We've had 168 residents come
[20:46] through and they um I think only one has
requested that we meet them outside of
[20:52] the regular office hours. So for funding
the solid waste districts across the
[20:58] state, there's different funding
mechanisms. About 85% of our funding
[21:02] comes from a generation fee. And so
that's a $4 fee on every ton of garbage
[21:07] that is generated in the district. And
the way we institute that is we have a
[21:12] rule requiring designation.
And so we have 13 facilities that are
[21:17] designated right now. And um we are
going to designate two more. One of them
[21:23] is already opened, Winding Creek
Recycling. It's a transfer facility
[21:27] that's in Betavia. And then there's
another facility opening up in Union
[21:31] Township, but we will not be having a
fee increase during this for this plan.
[21:36] So, we were able to move things around
and work within our budget um to add
[21:41] these additional programs without a fee
increase.
[21:46] So, our timeline, it's due November 9th
and um we are in the ratification
[21:52] period. We've already had our public
comment period, our public hearing. Uh
[21:55] the ratification period consists of us
going to the 46 different political
[22:00] entities and getting approval. We have
to have a resolution passed by each set
[22:05] of county commissioners. We have to have
an ordinance passed by the largest
[22:09] municipality, so the city of Milford and
then West Union and Adams County. And
[22:13] then we have to have resolutions passed
by townships and other political
[22:17] subdivisions that represent 60% of the
population. So Union Township, Miami
[22:23] Township are pretty important to get
that resolution passed there because
[22:25] they are the large larger population
townships in the district. And so for
[22:31] the the ratification period starts when
the entity receives the notification of
[22:36] ratification. And so for the board of
county commissioners that they have
[22:40] until September 14th to pass the
resolution supporting the plan.
[22:46] So there's my contact information and
would also encourage folks to go to our
[22:51] website acswd.org.
We have a recycling tool where you can
[22:55] look up materials. There's an image of
the icon there you would click on and
[22:59] that would help you determine how to
recycle or dispose of items.
[23:06] » Hannah, that's a great presentation
board. Any any questions for Hannah? No,
[23:11] it's just great that we have a local
place that someone can take paint to
[23:14] because normally that's the phone call.
What do I do with this paint that's been
[23:18] sitting in the garage?
>> So many years I'm like, well, you have
[23:21] to dry it out. And now we're actually
taking the paint to Matthew 25
[23:25] Ministries, right?
>> And so that's been really great because
[23:28] they're blending it and sending it out
as reusable paint. So
[23:32] » cool. Very cool.
>> And this was a great presentation. You
[23:35] know, one of the questions that it
answers is, you know, many times people
[23:39] people always ask, "What do
commissioners do? What are commissioners
[23:42] responsible for?" And you do a great job
showing, you know, what um waste
[23:48] management really looks like. And, you
know, the responsibility to the board of
[23:52] county commissioners for providing that
service and ensuring that that that's
[23:56] taken care of for Claremont County
residents. So, you know, a lot of
[23:59] working things in that wheel, you know,
that that have to be uh paid attention
[24:04] to and you guys and your staff,
Claremont County, Solid Waste, Adams
[24:09] County, they do a great job ensuring
that, you know, you have those kind of
[24:14] have those those kind of services
available. So, thank you.
[24:18] » Thank you.
>> And it's also nice that it's in
[24:20] Claremont County. Instead of having to
go out and clean up your roadside, they
[24:25] can take it there.
>> You bet. You bet. So getting this
[24:28] facility and you know the some of the
solid waste facilities that are opening
[24:31] up in the county, it really provides a
location for folks. They don't have to
[24:35] wonder what they're going to do with
their big couch or their old mattress.
[24:38] And
>> so it's also a great opport Go ahead.
[24:41] » No, go ahead.
>> It's also a great opportunity to
[24:43] volunteer to do cleanup. You have a lot
of private organizations out there
[24:47] helping and community groups and um just
another one is John Becker who every
[24:53] Saturday posts everything. He collects
in Union Township. It's amazing. It is.
[24:57] » Yeah. And you know, there's some spaces
that really need it. So, it's I love
[25:02] watching what he's doing out there.
>> Um, we try to support him as much as we
[25:06] can, but he's just really got the
initiative that goes out there and gets
[25:10] it done. But, he's got the bug cuz he's
figured out like once you start doing it
[25:14] and looking for it, you really can't
stop.
[25:17] » He's putting that lightning truck to
good use. Yeah. You know, absolutely.
[25:21] So, so he's driving a a uh, you know, an
electric vehicle to do it. So that's
[25:25] kind of neat. But Commissioner Bachelor
hit hit on a great point. You know,
[25:29] diversionary program that you have gives
people a opportunity to be able to
[25:35] dispose of these waste items and then
they don't show up in other areas like
[25:40] ditches and and outback of people's
houses and that kind of stuff. So
[25:44] » yeah, like the batteries, if you bet if
those lithium batteries make it into the
[25:48] recycling, I think Rumpy had like 66
fires last year. Yeah.
[25:54] » Um, you know, their fac their recycling
facility burnt down one year. So, it's
[25:57] really important that we keep that stuff
out of the trash and the recycling. So,
[26:01] » thank you.
>> Thank you.
[26:02] » Thank you.
>> Thank you, board. Before we move on,
[26:05] I've been made aware that we may not be
live streaming. Is that correct?
[26:10] » We are not.
>> We are not.
[26:11] » Some internet issues.
>> How about a picture with Hannah before
[26:15] we move on?
>> You bet. We'll do that. We will do that.
[26:18] And then David, is that something that
can be corrected?
[26:22] » I hope so. the next 10 minutes.
>> Okay.
[26:25] » I have to rely on ISD to
>> We're We're probably going to request a
[26:29] recess until they can reset that real
quick.
[26:32] » Okay. Come on, man.
[26:51] What?
>> He always has to be.
[26:56] » Yeah, it is.
>> Always.
[27:17] like
[27:33] » Thank you very much.
>> Executive.
[27:36] » Okay.
[27:44] So, board, if it's all right with you,
and instead of going on here with our
[27:48] regular agenda, we need a little time to
get this live streaming uh issue uh
[27:53] worked out. I would ask that we uh move
to item I. I'm requesting an executive
[28:00] session pursuant to 121.22, 22, G1, G3,
and G6, the high revised code to
[28:06] consider the employment dismissal or
compensation of a public employee or
[28:10] more public employees. Second, to confer
with the attorney for the board
[28:14] concerning disputes involving the public
body that are subject of pending or
[28:18] eminent court action. And three, to
discuss details relative to the security
[28:23] arrangements and emergency response
protocols for a public body or public
[28:27] office. Do I have a motion to go into
executive session?
[28:30] » Make the motion.
>> I'll second. It's been moved and second.
[28:33] Roll call.
>> Commissioner Corkran,
[28:34] » yes.
>> Commissioner Bachelor,
[28:36] » yes.
>> Commissioner Painter,
[28:37] » yes. We will move into executive
session. We will return and conduct
[28:41] further business. I just wanted to say
we're sorry we have a internet problem
[28:46] that our ISD department believes they
can resolve in about 10 minutes. So,
[28:52] just hang tight and we will be back to
conduct further business. Thank you.
[29:00] We are back from executive session.
There were no decisions made and no
[29:04] actions taken. We will move on with our
regular agenda. We were at uh letter E.
[29:10] Letter E is public participation. Is
there anyone here that would like to
[29:14] participate from the public? Sir, you
are more than welcome to do so. Please
[29:18] uh approach the podium during this time.
The board does not answer questions nor
[29:23] engage in debate. The commissioners are
not expected to comment on matters
[29:26] brought to the board during this time.
Each speaker will speak once and be
[29:30] recognized by the board president, which
you have been. And in accordance with
[29:34] the board of jewels, you'll have five
minutes to make your comments. Tell us
[29:37] who you are and where you live.
>> I want to thank you guys for listening
[29:41] to my concerns. U I'm going to read
this. I'm not a public speaker by any
[29:46] means.
Hello, my name is Dan Day. I've been a
[29:50] resident of Williamsburg for 34 years.
I've been a member of the Isaac Walton
[29:54] League of America, which is a national
conservation club, which spearheaded the
[29:59] Save Our Streams program here in
Claremont and Hamilton County. We have
[30:04] also done water quality sampling for
over 15 years of the Little Miami River.
[30:09] Part of our pledge as a member is to
strive for the purity of water and the
[30:13] wide stewardship of the land. In 1993,
I had Steve Rristmiller from Soil and
[30:20] Water Claremont County come out to my
property to give direction on building a
[30:24] pond in a good location based on an
intermediate stream emptying onto my
[30:30] property from the hills. A location was
chosen and I was told since it was an
[30:35] agricultural pond with no dam or permit
was not needed. I have since been
[30:40] informed that my location was in the
flood plane. I don't know if Mr. Riss
[30:45] Miller or myself gave this any thought
at the time. The pond was dug but did
[30:50] not hold water. It sat for over 30 years
with sediment slowly filling the hole
[30:56] from my neighbor who had timbered her
land in early 2000. In 2023, my wife and
[31:01] I, because of our age, we still wanted a
pond. So, we cleaned out the hole and
[31:07] installed a liner, which is an extremely
expensive way to build a pond, but
[31:11] decided to go ahead. The hole was
cleaned out and the liner installed in
[31:15] the fall of 2024.
The neighbor's property, which is about
[31:20] 100 acres, 50 in agriculture, 50 in
wooded hills, was used to ride ATVs
[31:25] during the summer of 2024 with no
erosion problems, even though they were
[31:31] also riding on three adjoining
properties and two of those neighbors
[31:35] telling him to stay off their land. In
March of 2025, the neighbor rented a
[31:40] bulldozer and proceeded to cut huge
fissures in the hillside, not trails as
[31:46] we know what a trail is. These cuts into
the hills are as long as 200 f feet and
[31:51] as deep as 8 ft. This is a degradation
of the land with no regard to
[31:55] surrounding property owners because no
permit was secured which would have not
[32:00] allowed him to push tons of dirt into
the streams and would have had guidance
[32:05] on how to follow best management
practice. Two of these cuts were made
[32:10] without my two neighbors knowing it was
on their land. Without the required
[32:15] permit, my neighbor intentionally shoved
huge amounts of dirt into the streams,
[32:20] rode the bulldozer up and down the
stream beds, knowing full well that the
[32:24] dirt only had one place to go, that is
onto my property and the East Fork
[32:29] River. Myself and my two neighbors filed
complaints with the building department.
[32:33] The soil and water department came out
and put a note on the bulldozer to stop
[32:37] work. The neighbor said, "Yeah, I saw
that and I finished cutting into the
[32:41] hills anyway." soil and water came out
to the property a total of five times.
[32:47] Three of those times the neighbor was
given a violation letters that he was
[32:51] violating the WMSC as stated in their
own letters. The fifth time soil and
[32:58] water came out the director of soil and
water John McManis wrote in his email to
[33:03] the building department that re erosion
was still ongoing.
[33:08] At this time, I'm asking the county
commissioner's office to investigate as
[33:12] to the reason the building department
found the property was in violation of
[33:16] WMSC
for 3 months. A permit was applied for
[33:22] but was denied. The head director of
soil and water stated that erosion was
[33:26] still occurring and there's not been a
plan of enforcement to stop the ongoing
[33:31] erosion and set sediment entering my
property with every heavy rain or the 40
[33:37] to 60 tons, not pounds, tons of sediment
still on my property. I was told several
[33:44] times in person and in writing that the
violation had a timeline before being
[33:49] turned over to the prosecutor's office.
That all went away when an employee of
[33:53] soil and water gave an opinion to the
building department in contrast with the
[33:58] super his supervisor's assessment that
the erosion was still ongoing and the
[34:04] building department closed the case
file. I'm present presently per advice
[34:09] from this office u commissioner painter
trying to set up a meeting with the
[34:15] district attorney
>> I have a hard time with his name tuklav
[34:22] » prosecutor's office
>> uh thanks for listening and any help
[34:25] would be appreciated and she had some
pictures to
[34:29] » I just passed them down at them
>> we've all looked at them you want those
[34:32] pictures back right
>> yeah I mean they're on the phone, but if
[34:37] you want to keep them, you can keep
those.
[34:39] » I can get them back at a later date.
>> Have you contacted Mr. Davi from the
[34:43] prosecutor's office?
>> I dropped a packet off yesterday.
[34:46] » Okay.
>> And wrote him a letter asking him if he
[34:50] could set a meeting up because Chris
McClintic said he would set in also on a
[34:56] meeting with him.
>> Amen.
[34:58] » Uh Ralph, are you will you make sure can
you follow through and make sure that
[35:01] DBY is aware of this and Mr. to Colby
and that Chris and everybody so he can
[35:06] get a meeting together. Thank you. We'll
get it together for you, sir.
[35:10] » Thank you so much.
>> We thank you for coming in. Sorry for
[35:13] everything.
>> Thanks, Mr. Dave. Thanks for being here.
[35:15] Anyone else like to participate during
public participation?
[35:20] » Seeing no one, I'll close public
participation. We will move to letter F.
[35:25] Letter F is consent agenda. Board, I
know you've had the consent agenda
[35:28] early, had an opportunity to review it.
Are there any items that need to be
[35:31] removed for further discussion?
Hearing none, I will ask for a motion to
[35:37] approve the consent agenda as presented.
>> I'll make the motion.
[35:41] » I have a second.
>> It's been moved and second. Roll call.
[35:44] Gail.
>> Commissioner Bachelor.
[35:46] » Yes.
>> Commissioner Corkran?
[35:47] » Yes.
>> Commissioner Painter?
[35:49] » Yes. That moves us to letter G. Letter G
is the non-consent agenda. Non-consent
[35:54] agenda starts on page five at item 14.
Item 14 is a recommendation that the
[36:00] board of county commissioners adopt
resolution number 114-25
[36:04] to approve payment to vendors in the
amount of 3,772,8622
[36:12] as outlined in the BCC approval invoice
reports rejected today to July 30th,
[36:16] 2025. BCC directed prepaid invoices
reports and the procurement card
[36:22] transaction report is presented by the
county auditor on 728 2025 and further
[36:28] authorizing county auditor to issue
warrants pursuant and in compliance with
[36:32] section 319.16 of the Ohio revised code.
Do I have a motion to pay the bills?
[36:37] » Make a motion. A second. It's
>> been moved and second. Roll call. Gail.
[36:41] » Commissioner Corkran.
>> Yes.
[36:42] » Commissioner Bachelor.
>> Yes.
[36:44] » Commissioner Painter.
>> Yes. We will move on to item number 15.
[36:48] Item 15 is Heath Wilson. Heath, glad
you're here.
[36:53] » Morning.
>> Morning.
[36:58] Item 15
is recommendation to authorize Thomas
[37:02] Igel, the county administrator, to
execute the agreement for professional
[37:06] services between the board of county
commissioners and XPEX LLC for the
[37:12] provision of construction plans
examination services as required by the
[37:16] higher board of building standards
pursuant to the terms and conditions of
[37:19] the agreement and contingent upon the
release of the required purchase order.
[37:26] This is a uh very much needed contract
for the building department uh to help
[37:31] with our both residential and commercial
plan review to help relieve our current
[37:37] planes examiner and then uh to fill fill
my duty as the master planes examiner so
[37:45] I can work on being the building
official. Uh this is an hourly contract.
[37:49] It will allow us to greatly improve our
plan turnaround times and focus on
[37:53] hiring another residential plans
examiner and hire a commercial plans
[37:57] examiner to take take my old position.
>> Okay. Board, you've heard the reading of
[38:02] item number 15. Do I have a motion for
approval?
[38:04] » I'll make the motion.
>> Second.
[38:06] » Been moved and second. Any further
conversation or agreement?
[38:09] » Okay. Roll call.
>> Commissioner Bachelor?
[38:12] » Yes.
>> Commissioner Corkran? Yes.
[38:14] » Commissioner Painter?
>> Yes. And Mr. Heath, just before you
[38:18] leave for me, obviously you've heard Mr.
Day's complaint here while he was here.
[38:22] I I know that that falls there is
portion of that that falls to permit
[38:27] central, especially the part about
erosion and and disrupting more than a
[38:32] certain area of ground and and having
silt fences and all those kinds of
[38:35] things. So, I would just ask that you
take a look at that. And
[38:39] » I will. Yeah, we we've we've had many
discussions with Mr. Dave.
[38:42] » Okay.
>> Have you seen the pictures, Heath?
[38:45] » I I've seen pictures. I don't know if
it's if
[38:48] » you want to look at those.
>> Sure. I'll I'll look at
[38:52] » Oh, sorry.
>> I can tell you one one of the things is
[38:54] the trevidity is just
>> it's off the hook.
[38:58] » That one wasn't the time.
>> Okay.
[39:00] » Commissioner,
>> thank you. Yes.
[39:02] » I have two personnel items I would like
to bring the board to consider.
[39:07] » Okay.
>> Can we add these to the agenda?
[39:10] » Uh we can board. I would ask that we
disrupt our our current agenda and we
[39:15] will go to um additions to the agenda.
There's two additions to the agenda that
[39:20] they need us to handle right now. One is
in the water resources department, a
[39:24] personnel item, and one is for the board
of commissioners. Do I have a motion to
[39:29] add these two items to the agenda?
>> I'll make the motion.
[39:31] » I'll second.
>> It's been moved and second. Roll call.
[39:34] » Commissioner Corkran.
>> Yes.
[39:35] » Commissioner Bachelor.
>> Yes.
[39:36] » Commissioner Painter.
>> Yes. So we would like to take the water
[39:40] resources department first.
>> Yes. Uh this is a termination probation
[39:46] for Mr. Christopher Hill,
a water operator uh number one in the
[39:52] water resources department.
>> And this is the termination of his
[39:55] probationary removal, his probationary
period and then removal.
[40:00] » Yes, sir.
>> Okay. board. You've heard the need for
[40:04] um uh this particular water resources
department u
[40:10] termination. Do I have a motion?
>> I'll make the motion.
[40:13] » I will second.
>> Been moved and second. Any further
[40:16] conversation?
>> Roll call.
[40:19] » Commissioner Bachelor.
>> Yes.
[40:20] » Commissioner Corkran.
>> Yes.
[40:21] » Commissioner Painter.
>> Yes. And then we have another one.
[40:25] » Yeah. The next one is from uh County
Administration Board of County
[40:29] Commissioners is for Kelly Maggar. uh
she's the administrative assistant. This
[40:35] is to end her appointment as in that
position
[40:40] » and that uh that employment termination
is for today.
[40:44] » Yes, both of them are for today.
>> Or you've heard the need for this u
[40:50] termination uh resolution. Do I have a
motion?
[40:53] » I'll make the motion. I'll second.
>> It's been moved and second. Any further
[40:57] conversation or discussion?
>> None. Roll call.
[41:01] » Commissioner Corkran,
>> yes.
[41:03] » Commissioner Bachelor,
>> yes.
[41:05] » Commissioner Painter,
>> yes.
[41:08] » Thank you. Item number 16,
[41:15] » Jessica, good morning.
>> How assistant county administrator. This
[41:19] is a recommendation to award the bid for
the animal shelter outdoor kennel
[41:22] expansion. It's pursuant to the plans
and specifications to Civil Solutions
[41:26] Associates Incorporated in Cincinnati,
Ohio for the lowest and best bid
[41:30] received on June 26, 2025 at the item
prices or the item prices are outlined
[41:37] in their bid with a total amount of
$141,000
[41:41] and to execute the contract with said
services to commence upon in issuance of
[41:46] the written notice to proceed from the
Claremont County Facilities Management
[41:50] Department with completion to be within
180 days after the receipt of the notice
[41:54] of uh the notice to proceed in
compliance with the terms and conditions
[41:59] and the award of bid and contingent upon
the release of the required purchase
[42:03] order.
>> Board, you've heard the meet the reading
[42:06] of item number 16. Do I have a motion
for approval?
[42:10] » I'll make the motion. I'll second.
>> Been moved and second. Further
[42:13] conversation.
>> Jessica, give us just a brief
[42:17] » Yeah.
>> scope.
[42:19] » Okay. So, this is the Kennel expansion.
Uh we originally went out to bid. We had
[42:23] a couple of issues trying to expand it.
It went over the budget by quite a bit.
[42:28] Um so what we've done is we've cut it
back to what the exact needs are of the
[42:32] kennel. The exact needs are we needed to
to basically double um in size. So we're
[42:37] adding the kennels within the existing
kennel expansion or within the existing
[42:43] kennel area. we can actually put enough
kennels within um there's a outdoor
[42:49] kennel over on this side and then on
this side and there's a huge walkway
[42:52] with gravel. So what we're actually
going to do is do the expansion right
[42:55] there in between. We have enough room to
do all the kennels um get everything to
[43:00] where we can get all the dogs outside so
they can do all the cleaning inside and
[43:04] then move them all back in. So it'll be
really good. Um it doesn't it doesn't
[43:08] necessarily expand it out like we were
originally anticipating to do, but it's
[43:13] within budget and it'll get done sooner
rather than later. So
[43:16] » you bet. And and this gives the the
folks that work at the kennel the
[43:20] opportunity to be able to get on a on a
good day, they can get all of our u K9
[43:26] guests out of the indoor facilities so
they can go in and give it a complete
[43:30] cleaning. That's what Yeah.
>> In instead of before, what we were doing
[43:34] was we were only able to get so many
dogs out into the outdoor kennels and
[43:38] then we went in and cleaned their space
and then we had to put them back in
[43:42] there to clean the other space. So, we
were kind of
[43:45] » kind of doing it back and forth. Yeah. A
>> lot of logistics on that one.
[43:48] » You bet.
>> We're trying to help them out, make sure
[43:50] that it goes uh smooth and makes it as
easy on them as possible and and we can
[43:54] get things done in a timely manner. So,
we'll just talk about we'll talk about
[43:58] some funding mechanisms there before you
leave. One of the things is is that um
[44:04] we received a a generous donation uh
from Nestle Pyina and that generous
[44:11] donation was actually for expanding the
play area out back of our kennels. But
[44:17] before the time that we could actually
get to that, some volunteers took care
[44:20] of that and put some some outdoor
features in and some covering there. So
[44:25] this is our redirection of those funds
to be used at the kennel for this
[44:30] particular expansion. So this will
include, if I remember right, $20,000
[44:36] that was received from Nessie Pirina for
the purpose of of the kennel's outdoor
[44:42] play space. And this is just being
redirected. We we redirected that with a
[44:47] letter directly to them. And so this
will be used for the expansion of
[44:52] kennels
>> and we will use up between the two um
[44:55] two projects that we have going on right
now. We'll use up all of the donations
[44:59] and then some capital money. But it what
the dogs need. So that's what we're
[45:03] doing. Well, and I think that's one of
the things is that, you know, there was
[45:06] $20,000 given for this purpose, but this
project is $141,000
[45:12] in addition to the next project coming
up is actually the uh dishwasher,
[45:17] washer, and dryer that's going to go on
the inside of facility. And there was
[45:21] $60,000 provided for that, and it will
be used for that. But that project has a
[45:26] much bigger ma magnitude than $60,000
also. So, just to just to make sure
[45:32] everyone understands that. Anything
else?
[45:36] » Roll call. Gail.
>> Commissioner Corkran.
[45:39] » Yes.
>> Commissioner Bachelor.
[45:40] » Yes.
>> Commissioner Pater.
[45:41] » Yes. Thank you. Item number 17.
>> Water resources. Chris Roland. Chris,
[45:48] glad you're here.
>> Morning, Commissioners.
[45:50] » Morning.
>> Chris Roland. Water resources. Item 17's
[45:54] a recommendation to adopt the resolution
number 115-25
[46:00] for determining to make improvements of
further construction, operation, and
[46:04] maintenance of the old state route 32
water main replacement of project
[46:10] located in Betavia and Williamsburg
townships as outlined in exhibit A and
[46:17] designated as a project number 6401
dash
[46:23] 6241
and to approve the request that
[46:27] advertise for bid for the project
pursuant to the plans and specifications
[46:32] and authorize uh the clerk of the board
to place a legal notice in a newspaper
[46:37] at general circulation on Thursday 8725
scheduling a non pre-bid meeting on
[46:49] Tuesday
8:28 8:25 at 10:00 a.m. with the bids
[46:54] that be received until 2:00 p.m. local
time on Thursday 91125 in the office of
[47:01] the board of county commissioners 101
East Main Street where they will be uh
[47:07] publicly open and read out loud. Uh the
notice will also be posted on the
[47:13] Claremont County homepage under legal
notices at the link www.
[47:21] uh clmont county ohio.gov. Uh this is a
a replacement water man uh to help move
[47:29] um water from our BMW plant east towards
the Afton and Williamsburg area and
[47:38] support that area development. Okay,
great.
[47:40] » Thanks, Chris. Board, you've heard the
reading of item number 17. Do I have a
[47:44] motion for approval?
>> I'll make the motion.
[47:45] » I have a second. It's
>> been moved and second. Any further
[47:48] conversation? Roll call. Gail.
>> Commissioner Bachelor.
[47:51] » Yes.
>> Commissioner Corkran,
[47:52] » yes.
>> Commissioner Payner,
[47:54] » yes. Thanks, Chris. Item number 18.
Emily Acres. Emily, I'm glad you're here
[47:59] this morning.
>> Thank you.
[48:00] » Good morning, board. Emily, Office
Management, Budget, I have a
[48:03] recommendation to resolve to approve and
authorize changes in the annual
[48:06] appropriation resolution number 151-24
for calendar year 2025. These are two
[48:11] supplemental appropriations. The one
first one is for public assistance, job
[48:14] and family services administration other
expenses for $850,000
[48:20] and child support enforcement other
expenses for $450,000.
[48:25] » Board, you've heard the reading it on
number 18. Do I have a motion for
[48:28] approval?
>> Make the motion. I'll second. It's
[48:30] » been moved and second. Any further
conversation? Roll call.
[48:33] » Commissioner Corkran.
>> Yes.
[48:35] » Commissioner Bachelor.
>> Yes.
[48:36] » Commissioner Painter.
>> Yes.
[48:38] » Thanks, Emily. That concludes our
non-consent agenda. Uh Ralph, any other
[48:44] additions to the agenda?
>> Uh, no, sir.
[48:48] » Then we'll move to letter J. Letter J is
county staff and elected official
[48:52] discussions. Any county staff or elected
official discussions?
[48:56] » I have one item.
>> Sure. Uh commissioners, I would like to
[48:59] proceed with an update to the 2025
master plan which will include the
[49:04] relocation of the offices in the county
administration building to the Brower
[49:09] campus along with the relocation of
common police courts to the Philar
[49:14] campus. What is the desire of the board?
[49:20] you you're just looking for comments
from the board to say is that something
[49:24] that would be desirous that I I for one
would like to see that in the plan.
[49:29] » You know, obviously that's for future uh
growth. Uh but it it would be great to
[49:34] have it covered. That's my opinion
>> and I've talked with Ralph. He knows my
[49:38] opinion. I think it would be interesting
to see what you could come up with. I
[49:44] think we kind of outgrown this area
myself.
[49:49] Great. Move forward.
>> I will I will contact our consultant uh
[49:52] and have them provide uh the based on
the terms of our agreement what the cost
[49:57] would be.
>> Okay.
[49:59] » Good. And we continue to keep all the
other departments and courts involved so
[50:05] everybody has an opinion when we get to
the final end of
[50:08] » Yes.
>> not to the end but as we're moving
[50:10] through it.
>> Yes.
[50:11] » Thank you. Thank you.
>> Thanks Ralph.
[50:13] » Anything else Ralph? Any other county
staff elected official? I have nothing
[50:17] else.
>> Hearing none, I would move to letter K.
[50:20] Letter K is member comments. Any member
comments?
[50:25] I'm glad to see that we're expanding
those kennels and we're putting Nestle
[50:29] Pyina's money to good use.
>> You know, it's well welld deserved.
[50:34] And all the other many things that are
going on here around the county, that's
[50:37] that's all good work. Whether that is,
you know, looking at water treatment or,
[50:43] you know, other projects that we have
facing us. So, you know, those have all
[50:47] been planned and been sufficiently
included where they need to be. So,
[50:53] excellent.
Hearing no other member comments, I
[50:57] would ask for uh a motion to adjourn our
meeting today.
[51:00] » I'll make the motion to adjurnn. I will
second.
[51:03] » It's been moved and second. Roll call.
Gail.
[51:06] » Commissioner Bachelor.
>> Yes.
[51:07] » Commissioner Corker.
>> Yes.
[51:08] » Commissioner Painter,
>> thank you. Thank you for being with us
[51:13] today.
>> Yes.
[51:14] » Yes. Thank you for being here with us
today. And we just want to say sorry
[51:20] » sorry for the uh the um uh pause that we
had there and in live streaming the
[51:27] meetings. But uh I think everybody that
would actually have been out there on
[51:31] the on the internet understands that
sometimes you have technical
[51:35] difficulties that your ISD department
has to help you with. So thank them for
[51:41] getting us back online and and being
able to finish this meeting. Uh we will
[51:45] see you next week. Thank you.