BATAVIA, Ohio — Batavia Township trustees will decide next week whether to put a new fire and emergency services levy before voters in November, months after township residents rejected a larger levy at the polls.
The board has scheduled a special meeting for 3 p.m. July 27 at the Batavia Township Community Center, 1535 Clough Pike, according to a meeting notice posted by the township. Trustees are set to consider Resolution 07-05-2026, which would place an additional 8.4-mill levy for fire and emergency services on the Nov. 3 ballot, covering both the incorporated and unincorporated areas of the township.
The proposal follows the defeat of a 9.5-mill fire and EMS levy in the May 5 primary, when unincorporated-area voters rejected the measure 55.5% to 44.5%, according to certified results from the Clermont County Board of Elections. That levy would have funded an independent township fire department, ending the township’s longtime partnership with the Village of Batavia in the Central Joint Fire and EMS District.
The township’s agenda for the July 27 meeting does not spell out whether the new 8.4-mill levy would fund the same independent department proposal or a different funding structure for emergency services. Trustees Rex Parsons, Randy Perry and Danielle Wessel and Fiscal Officer Jennifer Haley are expected to take up the resolution during the meeting’s public session.
The board is also expected to authorize a purchase order to Miller Heating and Cooling LLC for $14,940 to replace an HVAC unit at 2401 Old State Route 32 on an emergency basis, according to the agenda.
Trustees are then expected to move into executive session under Ohio Revised Code Section 121.22(G)(1) to discuss the appointment, employment, discipline, promotion or compensation of a public employee. Executive sessions are closed to the public, and any resulting action would need to be taken after trustees return to open session.
Parsons, a lifelong township resident, previously served as the township’s first administrator from 2002 to 2019 before joining the board of trustees in 2020. Perry, a longtime commercial plumber and co-owner of Rising Star Stables, has served as a trustee since 2012. Wessel, a registered nurse who works as a nursing excellence and outcomes program manager, joined the board in January. Haley, the township’s fiscal officer since 2004, is serving her sixth term.
Township meetings are open to the public, and officials said residents unable to attend may contact a trustee or staff member through the township’s website, bataviatownship.org.
The information contained in this story was obtained from Batavia Township.