BATAVIA, Ohio — Batavia Township trustees are scheduled to consider a township-wide ban on “Jake brakes” and hold public hearings on two rezoning requests when the board meets Wednesday, Nov. 4.
A resolution on the trustees’ agenda, numbered 11-03-2026, would prohibit the use of engine retarders — commonly called Jake brakes — in the township’s unincorporated areas, including along State Route 276. The devices release compressed air from a truck’s engine to slow it without using the wheel brakes, producing a sharp, popping noise that has led other local governments around the country to post similar bans in residential corridors.
Trustees are also set to open two public hearings at 6 p.m. on zoning requests. One, case B-03-26Z, concerns a roughly 10.2-acre parcel on Bauer Road. The other, case B-01-26ZCDD, covers a 17.93-acre tract at 100 Mt. Holly Road; the township’s zoning commission referred that request to the board after holding its own hearing on the matter.
The board is also expected to act on resolutions ordering the abatement of vegetation, garbage, refuse or debris at two properties: a lot at 4248 Brookside Drive owned by Michael and Gale Smith, and a lot at 2001 Saint Joseph Drive owned by Alizebeth H. Tilley, according to the meeting agenda.
Elsewhere on the agenda, trustees plan to discuss a fire levy and hear a report from the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office introducing Deputy Holifield and recognizing Deputy Dales on a promotion to corporal.
The meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Batavia Township Community Center and Park, 1535 Clough Pike. It is open to the public, and public comments will be accepted, the township said in a post announcing the agenda.
Batavia Township, which surrounds the Clermont County seat of Batavia, had about 27,660 residents as of the 2020 census. It is governed by a three-member board of trustees elected to staggered four-year terms, along with an elected fiscal officer.
The information contained in this story was obtained from Batavia Township.