Residents urge more addiction services and transparency on shelter volunteer meetings at Clermont County commissioners' meeting

At the Clermont County Board of Commissioners meeting on March 26, 2025, two residents pressed commissioners for more transitional services for people recovering from substance use disorder and raised concerns about transparency around meetings related to the county animal shelter.

The comments came during the public participation portion of the meeting, where Jody Wilson of Williamsburg and Jennifer Mascally of Union Township spoke about addiction, shelter operations and county responsiveness.

"This is a very hard subject that I need to speak about," said Jody Wilson, who described the 10-year death of a family member from a heroin overdose and urged county officials to expand services for people after incarceration and recovery. She also criticized what she called a small group of volunteers meeting with county officials without broader notice and said she had not seen promised shelter improvements, including outdoor kennels and a washer and dryer discussed with an architect in November.

"I was not that core group that was at the animal shelter that started advocating," Wilson said. "I'm kind of a lone soldier on my own, Joe Wilson, making a difference in this county for the homeless, for the veterans, for the animals." She asked commissioners to keep promises made to volunteers and to be accountable for timelines.

Jennifer Mascally, who identified herself as a recovering alcoholic, said short-term treatment is only a first step and urged the county to support longer transitional programs to help people reestablish housing and employment. She cited models such as the Prospect House in Price Hill and warned that federal budget changes could shift program funding onto county agencies.

"A 30 day program is just the beginning," Mascally said. "You have to reestablish your life," adding that felony records and low wages create barriers to returning to work.

Commissioner Claire Corcoran responded to Wilson's concerns about meetings and transparency, saying individual commissioners sometimes hold separate meetings and that a meeting of all commissioners would need to be posted in advance. "I don't keep track of Commissioner Painter's schedule nor does he have mine," Corcoran said, adding, "We don't do that to keep secret. Everybody's trying in their own way to try and resolve some of the issues."

Commissioner David Painter, board president, addressed the timing of public meetings after Mascally urged evening meetings to increase access. Painter said the board had tried evening meetings but that turnout remained low and that holding off-site evening meetings would require paying staff overtime and arranging locations. "We have decided to keep it at 10:00, and we will continue to keep it at 10:00," Painter said.

The public comments combined concerns about two related areas: expanded, sustained transitional services for people recovering from substance use disorder, and civic trust and follow-through on shelter-related commitments discussed during private or small-group meetings. Speakers named county staff members and volunteers—specifically citing meetings involving "Angie" and an architect about shelter laundry equipment and outdoor kennels—but did not present a formal county response with new timelines or commitments during the meeting.

The board then moved on to its consent and non-consent agendas, including multiple resolutions and contract items.