Clermont County commissioners will vote Wednesday on whether to let $500,000 in federal pandemic relief money cover land acquisition for the Bach Buxton Roundabouts project in Union Township.
The proposed amendment would expand how American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds already allocated to the roundabout project can be spent, according to the Clermont Guardian, which first reported on the draft agenda. The $500,000 total would stay the same, but the agreement with the Clermont County Transportation Improvement District would now allow the money to pay for right-of-way acquisition costs.
The project would add two roundabouts on Bach Buxton Road in Union Township. The Transportation Improvement District solicited firms for right-of-way acquisition and appraisal services earlier this year, with proposals due in April.
Agenda includes $278,680 for sheriff's divisions
Commissioners will also consider about $278,680 in supplemental appropriations for two Clermont County Sheriff's Office divisions.
The Sheriff's Investigations unit would receive about $121,741 for salaries, overtime, fringe benefits and other expenses. The Surveillance Analysis and Forensic Evidence Unit (S.A.F.E. Unit) would receive about $156,939 for salaries, fringe benefits and other expenses.
The S.A.F.E. Unit is a forensics lab operated jointly by the sheriff's office and the coroner's office. The Clermont County Prosecutor's Office described it in March as a new forensics lab that has assisted in cases including sex-crime electronics analysis and a murder investigation.
No commissioner or sheriff's office representative has commented publicly on the supplemental request.
Other agenda items
The board is also set to extend a contract with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) for the Clermont Transportation Connection, covering about $367,022 in public transit purchases for state fiscal year 2026.
Additional items include subdivision bond releases and new plats for developments in Goshen Township, a payment-processing contract extension with Gila, LLC through September 2027, and proclamations for Suicide Prevention Week and National Preparedness Month.
The board meets at 10 a.m. Sept. 2 at the county administration building in Batavia. The three-member board consists of President Bonnie Batchler, Vice President David Painter and member Claire Corcoran.
