County administrator outlines facilities master plan; officials project roughly $1.3 million electricity savings under cooperative contract

Assistant County Administrator Ralph Lane told the Clermont County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 22 that consultants have completed walk-throughs of county buildings as part of a facilities master plan and that the county will schedule stakeholder meetings to develop a multi‑year plan for facility needs.

Lane said the master plan will assess building systems and conditions, gather needs from elected officials and department heads, and issue a final report later in 2025 to guide decisions about repairs and expansions for the next 5, 10, 15 and 20 years. He said stakeholder meetings will begin at the end of the month with several virtual sessions planned.

Lane also reported results from an energy procurement arrangement entered through the County Commissioner Association of Ohio Service Corporation (CCAOSC). He said the county moved to new natural gas and electricity contracts; Palmer Energy, the association’s energy management firm, projected about $14,000 in natural gas savings and roughly $1,300,000 in electricity savings — roughly 32% of the county’s electricity usage. Lane said the county spends about $4,000,000 a year on electricity across county entities that pay through the board, including the water services department and facilities.

Lane cautioned there is no guarantee savings will repeat in future years because electricity costs depend on market rates and transmission and distribution charges from the utility. He said the electrical agreement took effect Jan. 1, 2025, and the natural gas change took effect Dec. 1, 2024.

The board did not take a separate vote on the master plan during the meeting; Lane said the consultants’ report and a schedule of stakeholder meetings will be presented to the board for consideration later this year.