Clermont County commissioners approved a $1.6 million water and wastewater repair contract, authorized grant applications for a major sewer plant expansion, and added $2 million to Children Services' budget at their Aug. 12 meeting, even as storms left 26,000 county homes and businesses without power.
The three-member board of president Bonnie Batchler, vice president David Painter and member Claire Corcoran conducted business at the county administration building in Batavia while about a dozen other county offices stayed closed to the public. The storms also knocked out power across the Loveland, Milford and Symmes Township area, as we reported Aug. 12.
Water and sewer
The board awarded a one-year contract to Utter Construction Inc. of Bethel for maintenance and repair of the county's water and wastewater systems at an estimated annual cost of $1,628,492, with an option to renew for a second year. The county's Water Resources Department said the bid, received in July, was the lowest and best offer, according to the Clermont Guardian.
Commissioners also authorized the county's utilities director to apply for state grant and loan funding for the Lower East Fork Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion. The targeted programs include the State Capital Improvement Program, the Ohio Small Communities Environmental Infrastructure Group and the Water Pollution Control Loan Fund.
The Lower East Fork plant serves parts of Miami Township, Union Township, Pierce Township and Batavia Township. A 2020 regional planning document listed the plant's capacity at 9 million gallons per day, with expansion plans targeting 14 million gallons per day.
Children Services and other spending
The $2 million supplemental appropriation to Clermont County Children Services was drawn as a change to the county's 2026 annual appropriations. The board also approved $100,000 for the county's indigent driver alcohol treatment program and $37,491 to cover a retirement payout in the Sheriff's Office Road Patrol division.
Commissioners authorized the Sheriff's Office to accept a $51,379 subgrant from the Ohio Department of Public Safety for the county's drug unit, requiring a $17,126 local match from the sheriff's 2026 budget.
Storm backdrop
Emergency Management Agency administrator Shawn Riley told commissioners that 40,000 customers lost power at the overnight peak after storms struck Greater Cincinnati on Tuesday, Aug. 11. That number stood at 26,000 by the time the meeting convened.
"An estimated 26,000 homes and businesses across Clermont County remain without power from the storms that hit Greater Cincinnati on Tuesday," Riley said at the meeting, according to a county press release.
Kris McClintick, who oversees the county's Building Inspections and Permits Division, reported that downed trees had fallen on at least 18 buildings, with inspectors continuing to assess damage. The county remained under a flood watch through the evening.
What's next
The board renewed a three-year, $630,091 software agreement with Tyler Technologies for the county's permitting and licensing system and authorized seeking bids for the Filager Campus Improvement Phase III project. The Filager Campus bid notice is scheduled to run Aug. 20, with a mandatory pre-bid meeting Sept. 1 and bids due Sept. 17.
As we reported Aug. 8, all three major spending items had been placed on the agenda ahead of the meeting.
