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Residents and watchdogs press Clermont County commissioners over animal shelter operations and community supports
Summary
Multiple Clermont County residents criticized local animal-shelter operations, described a nuisance property with repeated police responses in Monroe Township, and raised concerns about social-service capacity during public participation at the March 12 commissioners meeting.
Several speakers at the Clermont County Board of Commissionersmeeting on March 12 used the public participation portion of the meeting to press officials on local public-safety, substance-use and animal-shelter issues.
Deanna Smith of Edinburgh Drive described a recurring nuisance property on Bethel-New Richmond Road in Monroe Township and alleged frequent police responses, drug overdoses and outstanding warrants among occupants. "They went in and arrested her soulmate ... booked him in about midnight on charges from April 2020," Smith said, describing her frustration that the suspect was released the next day on an OR bond.
Christopher Hicks, who identified himself as a resident, delivered an extended critique of the county-run animal shelter and its recent request for proposals (RFP). Hicks said he compared key metrics from the last year the shelter was operated by an outside provider (referred to in the transcript as CARES) with current county operations and asserted declines in hours, intakes and adoptions alongside rising taxpayer costs. Hicks gave specific figures during his remarks: he said shelter hours are down about 38 percent, dog intake is down about 24 percent, dog exits are down about 41 percent, staffing is down about 48 percent, and fundraising is down by roughly 96 percent; he characterized his overall assessment as an "F" for the county-run shelter.
Hicks also criticized changes in the shelter RFP that he said made parts of the contract difficult to bid, citing language that replaced a specific minimum-hours requirement with a vague "24 hours a day on-call" provision.
A third speaker identified as Jen (last name not given) raised concerns about broader social-service capacity in the county, including substance-abuse treatment availability, limited domestic-violence shelter capacity (reported as about 15 beds), lack of a homeless shelter and possible federal cuts to Social Security and other programs. She asked what plans the county has to support residents if benefits are interrupted.
County staff responded briefly. Angie Levesy, a county staff member, said she had observed confusion on social media about the role of the Clermont County Humane Society and the county animal shelter and clarified "we are not affiliated with them, so our operations will continue." Levesy added that the county has partnered with the humane society for many years.
What happened at the meeting: The speakers were heard during the board's public participation period; commissioners did not engage in debate during the remarks and did not announce changes to policy or shelter management at the meeting. The board's ground rules were reiterated by staff: public comments are limited to five minutes per speaker, and the board does not generally respond during the public participation period.
What was not resolved: Speakers requested follow-up and action on several issues (nuisance properties, law enforcement responses, shelter management and social services), but the transcript shows no motions, directives to staff, or votes tied to those requests during the March 12 meeting.
