BATAVIA, Ohio — Clermont County voters will decide in November whether to renew a property tax levy that pays for the care and placement of abused and neglected children, after county commissioners voted to place the measure on the fall ballot.
The Board of County Commissioners adopted a resolution at its July 8 regular session directing the question to the Nov. 3 general election ballot. The measure seeks to renew a 0.80-mill levy for five years, amounting to 8 cents per $100 of property valuation, according to the county.
The levy supports children services and the care and placement of children through the county Department of Job and Family Services. If approved, it would first appear on the 2026 tax duplicate for collection beginning in 2027 and run through 2031.
Dorothy Meier, director of the Department of Job and Family Services, told the board that placement costs for children are high and that the levy helps cover those expenses, according to the county. If the renewal fails, funding for placement costs will end in May 2027, she said. If it passes, funding would continue through November 2027.
Meier said the board had weighed three options since June 17: a straight renewal, a renewal with an additional 0.2 mill, or a new 0.8-mill levy. Voters have twice rejected the renewal paired with the 0.2-mill increase, she said, and the board chose to seek the straight renewal.
Commissioners approved the resolution by a 3-0 vote, also directing the county auditor to certify the county’s total tax valuation and the revenue the levy would generate.
In other business July 8, the board adopted the county’s annual tax budget for 2027 and approved $4.56 million in payments to vendors, according to the county. Commissioners also authorized a $145,016 agreement to repair a retaining wall on Felicity Cedron Rural Road in Franklin Township and a $71,602 regional planning services agreement with the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Clermont County Board of Commissioners.