BATAVIA, OHIO (March 7, 2025) – On March 7, the county celebrated the opening of its new seven-acre highway operations and fleet maintenance campus at 4475 State Route 222 in Batavia.
Clermont County Commissioners David Painter, Bonnie Batchler and Claire Corcoran along with County Engineer Jeremy Evans, Fleet Maintenance Director Wayne Prescott, contractor Monarch Construction Co., architecture firm Garmann Miller and other officials marked the occasion with a ribbon-cutting, open house and tours of the facilities, which include seven buildings covering a total of 74,550 square feet.
The new buildings include space for the county engineer’s office, highway operations for snow removal and road repair, salt storage, vehicle washing, maintenance and fuel supply.
Please see below for a map of the new campus and highlights of each building.
Construction of the $18.5 million project wrapped up in late 2024, replacing deteriorated highway and fleet facilities that dated to the 1950s and 60s. The county highlighted the need to replace those outdated facilities along Filager Road in its 2009 master plan.
“This is an investment in our future,” Commissioner Batchler told the crowd at a ground-breaking ceremony that kicked off construction in June 2023. “We are building a modern facility that will help Clermont County provide top-quality service to our citizens.”
View a photo slide show of current and historical images.
The new highway and fleet facilities are expected to reduce costs by improving staff efficiency and increasing the longevity of equipment used to maintain county roads, bridges and other public services. The largest of the new buildings is a 34,800-square foot indoor garage with an overhead crane and space for 32 heavy vehicles such as dump trucks and crew-cab trucks. Other improvements include a salt-storage barn with a covered extension, new heavy-vehicle lifts, an indoor vehicle wash area, a sign-construction shop with dedicated storage and lockers for workers to store their gear. The 6,800-square foot building that houses fleet operations has six mechanics bays, office and break room space, a parts room and storage. The adjacent, covered fuel station features four pumps, 10,000-gallon tanks for gas and diesel storage as well as reclamation tanks for used oil and coolant.
The new facilities, dubbed Filager Campus Phase 1, were funded by the county’s capital budget. Two additional phases are in design. Those phases, estimated to cost $12 million to $17 million, will be located across the street along Filager Road on the acreage previously occupied by highway operations and fleet maintenance. Those projects will include construction of office space for engineering staff and the county’s public bus service, Clermont Transportation Connection. The construction timeline will be announced once the designs are completed.
BATAVIA, OHIO (Feb. 12, 2025) – The Clermont County Department of Community and Economic Development is conducting an online survey to evaluate current and future housing needs. Residents and businesses are invited to take the survey, which is part of a comprehensive countywide housing study.
The deadline to complete the survey is Monday, March 31.
The study will help the Board of County Commissioners assess market conditions for both owner-occupied and rental housing, identify challenges, and develop a strategic plan. The study is funded by a federal Community Development Block Grant.
The county’s consultant, Philadelphia-based Urban Partners, will conduct in-person public engagement sessions this spring and is expected to share its final report by late summer. The dates and location for the public engagement sessions will be shared once details are finalized.
>>> Take the Survey
BATAVIA, OHIO (Feb. 10, 2025) – The Clermont County Treasurer’s Office had a printing issue that has delayed the return of many tax payments to our office.
Please rest assured that we check the postmark on every envelope and any postmark of February 12, 2025 or prior will be posted as a timely payment, no matter when it is received.
Thank you for your patience.
Jeannie M. Zurmehly
BATAVIA, OH (Nov. 9, 2022) — The Family Recovery Court of the Clermont County Juvenile Court has earned final certification from the Ohio Supreme Court’s Commission on Specialized Dockets.
In order to receive the certification, the local court had to submit an application, undergo a site visit, and provide specific program materials in response to certification standards that went into effect in January 2014.
Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor congratulated the Clermont County Juvenile Court and Judge James A. Shriver for receiving final certification.
“Specialized dockets divert offenders toward criminal justice initiatives that employ tools and tailored services to treat and rehabilitate the offender so they can become productive members of society,” said Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor. “Studies have shown this approach works by reducing recidivism while saving tax dollars.”
Specialized dockets are courts that are dedicated to specific types of offenses or offenders and use a combination of different techniques for holding offenders accountable while also addressing the underlying causes of their behavior. There are more than 210 specialized dockets in Ohio courts that deal with issues such as:
The standards provide a minimum level of uniform practices for specialized dockets throughout Ohio, and allow local courts to innovate and tailor to meet their community’s needs and resources.
Currently, 71% of Specialized Docket participants admitted to methamphetamine use while the other 29% indicated fentanyl was their substance of choice. According to Judge Shriver, the Clermont County Family Recovery Court has implemented evidence-based practices and worked together with a number of partner agencies to assist families in overcoming the barriers in their lives and achieving long-term sobriety and changing their way of life. Participants have been able to obtain safe and sustainable employment and housing before graduation and learn what it means to have a sober and loving family relationship with their children.
The certification requirements include establishing eligibility requirements, evaluating the effectiveness of the specialized docket, and assembling a treatment team for implementing daily operations of the specialized docket. The team can include licensed treatment providers, law enforcement, and court personnel, and is headed by the specialized docket judge.
The Commission on Specialized Dockets has 22 members who advise the Supreme Court and its staff regarding the promotion of statewide rules and uniform standards concerning specialized dockets in Ohio courts; the development and delivery of specialized docket services to Ohio courts; and the creation of training programs for judges and court personnel. The commission makes all decisions regarding final certification.
David Painter, vice president of the Board of County Commissioners in Clermont County, has been appointed chair of the Environment, Energy and Land Use Steering Committee of the National Association of Counties (NACo).
“David was chosen because my goal is build a talented and committed leadership team for NACo,” said Denise Winfrey, NACo president. “Our strength at NACo is in our members and their involvement. It is time to elevate the county role in areas of need, and we are ready to rise.”
The committee is responsible for all matters pertaining to air, water, energy, and land use, including water resources/management, stormwater, pesticides, air quality standards, solid, hazardous, and nuclear waste handling, transport, and disposal, national energy policy, renewable/alternative energy, alternative fuel vehicles, energy facility siting, electricity utility restructuring, pipeline safety, oil spills, superfund/brownfields, eminent domain, land use, coastal management, oceans, parks and recreation.
“I am extremely honored for the opportunity to fulfill such an important role,” Painter said. “These are critical areas for the future of our country. They impact every one of us as we go about our daily lives. Rest assured that I will do my best as we move ahead with these vital matters.”
Painter serves on the NACo Board of Directors. He previously was vice chair of NACo’s Environment, Energy and Land Use Steering Committee. He also is president of the OKI Regional Council of Governments.
The National Association of Counties (NACo) serves nearly 40,0000 county elected officials and 3.6 million county employees nationwide. Founded in 1935, NACo unities county officials to advance excellence in public service to enrich the lives of all citizens. NACo is one of the most effective and largest advocacy organizations in the world.
BATAVIA, OH (July 29, 2022) — Curbside brush and woody debris removal generated from the July 6 storm is being phased out. Public works agencies ask that residents no longer place brush at the curb or right-of-way after the dates listed below:
Goshen Township: 8/5/2022
Miami Township: 7/29/2022
Wayne Township: 8/7/2022
Volunteer agencies continue to assist residents with debris on private property as their resources allow.
However, after the dates listed above, woody debris will not be collected from the right-of-way.
Alternative methods of woody debris management include stockpiling for firewood, chipping and mulching, hiring a tree or landscaping service, composting or wildlife habitat, open burning following local ordinances, or transporting debris to a landscaping company, or licensed landfill or compost facility.
Bzak Landscaping on 931 Round Bottom Road will take brush from residents with storm related debris at no cost. Logs should be cut into 4-foot lengths.
For more storm-related information, please visit: https://ema.clermontcountyohio.gov/7-6-2022-storm-relief/
BATAVIA, OH (Sept. 28, 2022) — The Board of County Commissioners is seeking applicants for the OneOhio Region 14 Board of Directors. The regional board will help oversee the settlement with national opioid distributors, including representation on the OneOhio Recovery Foundation, Inc. and the selection of projects to be funded from the region’s share of opioid funds.
To apply, visit: https://bcc.clermontcountyohio.gov/
Applications are due by Aug. 31.
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Welcome to the new Community and Economic Development Newsletter!
Welcome to our new GIS Analyst, and we’re hiring!
Seeking your guidance about solar and wind farms
NEW format for Business Retention & Expansion visits
Welcome to the new Community + Economic Development Newsletter!
In late 2021, the Community + Economic Development Department conducted a survey in Clermont County as we develop our strategic and comprehensive plan for the next decade. One of the items that respondents said they wanted to see from our department was more communication and a return to the newsletter. It has been many years since this department’s last newsletter, and we want to make sure that the information in it is relevant and helpful to you.
We hope that you have seen the progress that Nestlé Purina is making at the South Afton site in Williamsburg Township. We hope it will be online and operational hopefully later this year.
Also, Hamilton Safe will be having a ribbon-cutting later in April as their move into a larger facility on Round Bottom Road in Union Township will encourage current and future growth.
TQL is expanding their Ivy Point campus in Union Township as well as other regional expansions in Miami Township, West Chester and Northern Kentucky.
Please check out what we are doing with our Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) visits to meet the needs of employers. You will also find out GIS functionality that you may not have known about before, guidance that we need from you regarding solar and wind farms, and a CDBG update.
We are inviting township, village and city officials to our inaugural Economic Development Roundtable so that our communities can learn more about economic development tools available to them and network with other local development officials.
Finally, please have a look at our new BR&E video posted below. We have posted this on social media, our YouTube channel and will show it at our new BR&E format sessions.
Thank you for taking the time to read what is happening in development here in Clermont, and I hope you find this information helpful and useful.
Michael McNamara, Director
Department of Community + Economic Development
Welcome to our new GIS Analyst, and we’re hiring!
Our department will be welcoming Ryan Kent in our GIS Division. Ryan has an extensive GIS background and we are glad he is joining our team.
We are hiring.
The Building Division currently has positions open for a Permit Specialist and a Building Inspector 1 or 2.
These positions will remain open until filled.
You can apply by clicking this link
Solar and wind farms (updated 4/22/22)
Due to scheduling conflicts, we have to cancel the April 29, 2022 SB 59 wind and solar informational event.
We will bring the event back at a later time and will let all interested parties know of the new date. All parties will be notified of the cancellation.
NEW format for Business Retention & Expansion visits
The Department of Community & Economic Development is implementing an exciting new format for future business retention and expansion visits, in an effort to reach more businesses every year. DCED is developing a group BR&E format, to run in conjunction with the traditional one-on-one visit program, with the first visit scheduled with Miami Township’s business community in April.
Rather than meeting with one business at a time, the department hopes to bring together a small group of business owners from a shared township, village, or city, with representatives from local government and economic development agencies, for a roundtable discussion of all things business. Company representatives can provide feedback, illuminate concerns, or present questions to the various community stakeholders in attendance, so that the local business climate can be better understood and better served. We believe this format will provide an experience that is educational, collaborative, and efficient, allowing our department to continue to improve the county’s business environment with targeted initiatives and outreach.
Our first BR&E session will be April 11, in Miami Township.
If you want to schedule your community for a BR&E visit, please contact Scott Gafvert, Development Specialist, at sgafvert@clermontcountyohio.gov.
Community Development Update
BATAVIA, OH — Clermont County Commissioner David Painter has been named to the National Association of Counties (NACo) Board of Directors. He also was appointed Vice Chair of NACO’s Environment, Energy and Land Use Steering Committee.
NACO President Larry Johnson said Painter was “chosen because my goal is to build a talented and committed leadership team.”
“Emerging from the last year of challenges, uncertainty and, in many cases, tragedy, we are ready to thrive,” Johnson said. “My presidential initiative will highlight your service and the important work of your committees in these realms: Technology, Health, Readiness, Infrastructure, Vulnerable Populations and Economic Opportunities. I am counting on you to advance my initiative to make life better for all those we serve.”
Painter said: “It’s a true honor to serve in these important positions. NACo is a great organization that supports counties as they provide vital services that impact the daily lives of all citizens. I feel fortunate to be a part of NACo’s leadership team.”
BATAVIA, OH — Tim Rudd, Clerk of the Clermont County Municipal Court, announced today that his office is now accepting credit cards for over-the-counter payments of fines and costs on traffic and criminal cases.
Working in collaboration with the credit card processing company MSB, Rudd is the first Clerk of Court to accept credit card payments in the Clermont County court system. MSB does charge the customer a convenience fee for the use of their credit card processing system. MSB provided the processing equipment at no charge and the convenience fee to the customer is the only cost.
Rudd said he was both excited and pleased to offer credit card services for the citizen’s convenience at no cost to the county. Rudd also stated that MSB and equivant, his case management vendor, are working on an online credit card payment solution that should be coming soon.
