Clermont County Commissioners want to have strong, high-speed Internet access county-wide.

Based on raw census data and comparisons of other regions, thousands would benefit from available and affordable broadband.

Many are not served or under-served.

An online survey and Internet speed test will help the county achieve this goal. It will help the county secure funding for broadband expansion.

Complete a brief online survey and Internet speed test so the county can understand Internet access and needs. Be sure to do the speed test at home. The survey and test are at: https://internet.clermontcountyohio.gov. They take less than a minute to complete.

Please forward the survey to friends and neighbors who live or do business in Clermont County.

If you love dogs, license yours. Dog license fees provide an important source of revenue for the Clermont County Animal Shelter.

A lost dog can be easily returned to its owner if it is tagged. If the dog is not tagged, it is brought to the county’s animal shelter where every effort is made to locate the owner. 

“Dec. 1-Jan. 31 is a great time to purchase a dog license,” said Tim Pappas, the county’s Chief Dog Warden. “The cost doubles after that.”

One-year dog licenses are $16, three-year dog licenses are $48, and permanent dog licenses are $160. Kennel licenses are $80, includes 5 tags ($1 for each additional tag and only available through the Auditor’s Office by mail or in-person).

Read more here

Tyler Brown adopted Fritz from the Clermont County Animal Shelter on Nov. 1. The pit bull and Labrador retriever mix had been in the shelter for 10 days.

“I met him on day seven looking at different dogs,” Brown said. “I was told he was super timid, but as he was brought out that lasted for half a second. He was super excited and wagging his tail and sat beside me like it was decided. The staff were taken aback and agreed that it was decided, too.”

Brown and Fritz live in Amelia with another adopted dog, an elderly bichon shih tzu. 

“I’ve had her for 12 years now and she has a number of years left, but she’s an old diva,” Brown said. “I went to the shelter because I had seen several dogs online I was interested in, but looking through the binder of dogs his smile just spoke to me. Once he and my other dog met it was only a matter of paperwork.”

Brown said Fritz adjusted very well and very quickly. He’s loving his training classes and swears he’s a lapdog. 

“The big dog bed I got for him ended up getting claimed by my 8-pound dog, but he only wants to sleep in my arms,” Brown said.

To see dogs available for adoption, click here

When Anthony Vieregge entered the Family Recovery Court Program in August 2021, he was homeless and unemployed. He did not have reliable transportation, had outstanding warrants, and was actively using lots of different drugs. He had lost custody of four children.

Just 15 months later, his outlook has completely changed.

“Anthony completed residential treatment, sober living, and transitional living,” Judge James A. Shriver said at Vieregge’s graduation from the program on Dec. 8. “He is very active in the sober support community and now chairs meetings. He has overcome some of the most challenging barriers in his road to recovery. Anthony has an apartment of his own, obtained a license and a car, completed his education for a Peer Support Specialist, taken care of all criminal matters, and reunified with his children. Anthony has been sober for 437 days and has provided 80 negative tox screens.”

Read more here

Clermont County Commissioner David Painter on Dec. 8 was named to the County Commissioners Association of Ohio (CCAO) 2023 Executive Committee as 2nd Vice President. 

“I’m humbled and honored to join this important team," Painter said. "As a leading advocacy group, CCAO always keeps the needs of citizens at the forefront of its activities. This position allows me an opportunity to advocate for Clermont County and counties as a whole at the statewide level.”

The County Commissioners Association of Ohio advances effective county government for Ohio through legislative advocacy, education and training, technical assistance and research, quality enterprise service programs, and greater citizen awareness and understanding of county government.

Clermont County Commissioners Bonnie Batchler, David Painter, and Claire Corcoran attended the 2022 County Commissioners Association of Ohio (CCAO) / County Engineers Association of Ohio (CEAO) Winter Conference at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Columbus in early December. The 3-day event’s theme was “Innovation and Inspiration to Shape Ohio’s Future,” providing an opportunity for local officials to become inspired by a variety of experts who shared innovative ways to address important issues counties are facing. 

Dusty Kiser and Dennis Shively, mechanics in Clermont County Fleet Maintenance, have accumulated almost 100 years of experience working on everything from mowers to motorcycles. Both are triple Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) master technicians in automotive, heavy trucks and buses – a rarity in their profession.

Led by Fleet Manager Wayne Prescott and joined by mechanic Brian Strunk, they perform mechanical work on cars, trucks, vans, buses, motorcycles, ATVs, Vactor trucks, tractors, skid-steer loaders, backhoes, trailers, mowers and generators. They also service snow removal equipment, boats, weed eaters, portable lights, compressors, track hoes and dump trucks.

They change oil, filters and fluids, and repair and rotate tires. They work on lighting, sirens, electrical, speakers, invertors, exhaust and brakes. They do body work and fabrication.

If that’s not enough, they also manage gas and fuel pumps, provide roadside service, and sharpen mower and chainsaw blades.

“Water pumps, generators, drones, a large TV… we’ve done it all,” said Kiser, 71. “We do a lot of metal fabricating and make our own tools. It’s pretty interesting stuff.”

“If it’s mechanical stock and it’s owned by the county, we’ve worked on it,” said Shively, 60. He celebrates his 34th year with the County on Dec. 11. Kiser has been with the County for 39 years.

Read more here

Due to excessive rainfall May 1-June 16, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Clermont County as a Primary Natural Disaster Area.

This designation allows the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans.

Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, the reorganization of a farming operation or the refinance of certain debts. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available, and repayment ability.

The deadline to apply for emergency loans is May 29.

Read more here

Clermont County Engineer Jeremy Evans reported to the Board of County Commissioners that his office resurfaced and repaired a record 44.5 miles of roads in 2022. 

A commitment of $4 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds by Commissioners contributed toward the record. Vehicle license fees and Ohio gas taxes also helped pay for the $8.2 million overall cost. An additional 11.2 miles of township/municipal roads and 1.3 miles of Water Resource Department projects also were resurfaced and repaired.

Some of the longest stretches included 4.4 miles on Marathon-Edenton Road, from State Route 131 to State Route 133, and 4 miles on Round Bottom Road, from the Hamilton County line to US 50.

The Engineer's Office must pave 30 miles per year to reach a 12-year paving cycle.

The work comes at a time when asphalt pricing continues to climb.

Commissioners Bonnie Batchler and Claire Corcoran on Dec. 7 attended an information session by Duke Energy on natural gas safety. The session was designed for first responders and community leaders along the Bethel-Batavia natural gas infrastructure project.

Sessions led by Duke Energy Ohio’s training specialists addressed:

• Properties of natural gas 

• Abnormal operating conditions 

• How Duke partners with first responders  

• Live demonstrations of a controlled burn 

• Controlling accidental ignition 

• What to do in an emergency 

• Tour of Duke Energy’s Pipeline Safety Academy 

While decorating for the holiday season, you may encounter a few strings of lights that mysteriously decided to quit working, or the dreaded wad of lights that is impossible to untangle. Don't throw those strings of lights away - recycle them properly!

The Adams-Clermont Solid Waste District and Cohen have teamed up again this year to provide convenient opportunities to recycle those unwanted or non-working decorative string lights. From Dec.1 to Feb. 1 residents can recycle their traditional or LED-style string lights by dropping them into a specially marked outdoor container at the following locations:

Shor Park: 4659 Tealtown Road Milford, OH 45150

(container is by the public restrooms)

Sycamore Park: 4082 State Route 132, Batavia OH 45103

(container is by the public restrooms)

Clermont County Soil & Water Conservation District: 1000 Locust St. Owensville, OH 45160

(container is in front of agricultural service center at the fairgrounds, near gazebo)

Pierce Township Service Department: 950 Locust Corner Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45245

(container is next to the public recycling dumpsters)

Clermont County Water Resources: 4400 Haskell Lane Batavia, OH 45103

Cincinnati Nature Center (CNC members only): 4949 Tealtown Road, Milford, OH 45150

(container is at the Rowe Woods Visitor Center)

Long Branch Farm & Trails (CNC members only): 6926 Gaynor Road, Goshen, OH 45122

It is important to remember that holiday lights cannot be placed in your curbside recycling bin or in the

public recycling drop-off container you typically use because they will tangle around the machinery

and automated equipment at the recycling processing center. Holiday lights require special handling

and processing that Cohen is happy to provide! Please note this is for traditional or LED string lights

only - fluorescent bulbs or large halogen bulbs cannot be accepted.

For more information about this event or any other services provided by the Adams-Clermont Solid

Waste District, please visit www.OEQ.net, email DSNYDER@clermontcountyohio.gov, or phone

(513) 732-7744.

Christmas tree recycling is a great gift to the environment after the holiday season ends! “Treecycling” not only keeps cut trees out of the landfill, but it helps support other ecosystems. Best of all, it’s FREE and easy! There are several locations in Clermont County for residents to dispose of a cut Christmas tree and have it chipped:

Village of Batavia: Village residents can place trees (cleared of all decorations) at the curb for pick-up throughout the month of January for chipping.

City of Loveland: City residents can place trees (cleared of all decorations) at the curb for pick-up from Jan. 3-16 for chipping.

Miami Township: Residents can bring Christmas trees (cleared of all decorations) to either Paxton Ramsey Park or Miami Meadows for chipping. Trees can be dropped off seven days a week during daylight hours from Dec. 27-Jan. 31 for chipping.

Pierce Township: Pierce Township residents can bring trees (cleared of all decorations) to the Pierce Township Service Garage at 950 Locust Corner Road Dec. 24-Jan. 16 for chipping. The drop-off area is located near the baseball fields and will be clearly marked.

Pattison Park (Stonelick Twp/Owensville area): Cut trees (cleared of all decorations) can be dropped off at the lake side part of at Pattison Park, near the playground, Dec. 26-Jan. 12 for chipping. The drop-off area will be clearly marked.

Union Township: Union Township residents can drop off cut trees (cleared of all decorations) behind the Police Department at 4312 Glen Este-Withamsville Road for chipping from Jan. 1-31. The drop-off area will be clearly marked.

All other residents: BZAK landscaping, 931 Round Bottom Road, will allow any Clermont County resident to dispose of cut trees (cleared of all decorations) for chipping during regular business hours. Please call (513) 831-0907 for information.

Please note, this “Treecycling” program is only for live cut trees. Artificial trees cannot be recycled and must be disposed of as household trash. Before you take your cut tree to a collection site or haul it to the curb for pick-up, please be sure to remove all lights, tinsel, and decorations. Old or broken strings of holiday lights can be recycled at several locations around Clermont County.

For more details about Christmas tree recycling, holiday lights recycling, or for general information about the services provided by the Adams-Clermont Solid Waste District, please visit www.OEQ.net, email DSNYDER@clermontcountyohio.gov, or phone (513) 732-7744.

Enjoy a cold winter weekend afternoon with a cozy blanket and a book from the Clermont County Public Library.

At the same time, you can participate in the annual Cozy Winter Read program, Jan. 3-Feb. 28 at the library. When signing up, guests will receive a pair of fuzzy socks and a package of chocolate drops as a gift, while supplies last. All ages can participate.

For every book you read and log into the library’s online registration system, you will be entered to win a grand prize, which is a gift basket filled with cozy essentials. One grand prize will be given out in each branch. Winners will be announced March 5.

Complete details about the program are on the library’s website, clermontlibrary.org, or call your local branch for more information.

Applications are available for local governments and non-profits for a program that has provided millions of dollars for a variety of projects across Clermont County. Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) applications are located at https://clermontcountyohio.gov//community-development/. Submission deadline is Feb. 17.

There will be a public hearing/information meeting relative to the program at 2 p.m. Jan. 6 in the third floor of the Clermont County Administrative Building, 101 E. Main St, Batavia, Ohio. The public hearing is for informational purposes; applicants are welcome to attend but is not required.

The Board of County Commissioners has invested almost $9 million dollars in CDBG funds to local communities and non-profits for everything from fire station improvements, sidewalk construction and septic/sewer remediation to home repair and drug and alcohol programs since becoming a HUD Urban Entitlement in 2015.

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides an annual CDBG grant to Clermont County to carry out a wide range of activities directed toward revitalizing neighborhoods, economic development, and providing improved community facilities and services.

The 2023 allocation has not been determined at this time. In 2022, Clermont County received about $970,000 in CDBG funds.

“Our office is always available for questions on how these funds can continue to benefit your community, residents, and clients,” said Desmond Maaytah, community development administrator, Clermont County Community + Economic Development.

For more information about the CDBG program, see: https://clermontcountyohio.gov/community-development/cdbg-overview/