The Clermont County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 7 approved routine minutes, a consent agenda and a resolution authorizing $2,308,617.62 in vendor payments, named county designees for multiple regional bodies and took no action following an executive session.

The payment resolution (No. 001-26) was read into the record and approved by roll call after the county auditor presented the BCC approval invoice report. The board also authorized a fee agreement for labor-management legal services with Edward S. Dorsey and Wooden Lamping at $218 per hour and approved a contract to provide legal services to the Clermont County Park District at $80.25 per hour for 2026; the latter passed with Commissioner Painter recorded as abstaining.

Why it matters: the vendor-payment resolution represents the board's routine fiscal authorization that allows the auditor to issue warrants and enable vendor payments. The contracts and appointment of a prevailing wage coordinator affect county administration and compliance with Ohio law for public improvements.

Among administrative actions the board: appointed Joel Gross as director of Water Resources (introduction of staff was part of the agenda); authorized county staff to execute documentation for county vehicle title/plate transactions; and designated representatives to regional and intergovernmental bodies including Area 12 workforce consortium and the OKI Regional Council.

Public comments gave the meeting a contentious tone at points. Dennis Burnett of Batavia, who identified several complaints about a neighboring property and local permitting enforcement, told the board, "We got a great country and a screwed up government," and asked that the neighbor's deck be condemned because he said it was built without permits and posed an imminent hazard. Burnett also alleged inconsistent enforcement by the building department and said he planned to pursue the matter in court outside the county.

Resident Jen Masekelly of Union Township urged the board for follow-up on a recent food drive, asking how much food was collected, how many families were served, and how distributions were decided. She highlighted a constituent who lost marketplace health insurance and said an injection for a medical condition would cost $3,000 without coverage. Masekelly proposed a local "human infrastructure commission" to address non-physical needs and suggested a county-sponsored knitting/yarn drive to support people experiencing homelessness.

Sylvia Reeves of Miami Township asked the commission to consider holding some meetings in the evening to increase public participation and requested guidance on how citizens could formally request evening meetings and add agenda items prompted by the public.

During a separate presentation, Gary Neff previewed a Clermont County America250 history piece about Sgt. Paul Scott of Milford and showed photographs and an artifact recovered from a World War II aircraft associated with the Margraten American cemetery in the Netherlands. Neff directed listeners to the Clermont County Visitors and Convention Bureau site for the full series.

The board entered executive session under Ohio Revised Code sections 121.22(G)(1) and (G)(3) to discuss personnel and attorney-client matters. The board announced upon return that no action was taken in executive session. The meeting adjourned with the chair noting the next meeting date.

Votes at a glance
- Approval of regular session minutes (12/17/2025): approved by roll call.
- Resolution No. 001-26 — approve vendor payments totaling $2,308,617.62: approved by roll call.
- Fee agreement with Edward S. Dorsey and Wooden Lamping (labor-management legal services): approved by roll call.
- Contract for prosecuting attorney legal services to the Clermont County Park District ($80.25/hr): approved by roll call; Commissioner Painter abstained.
- Letter of support for 5310 specialized transportation grant (Clermont Senior Services): approved by roll call.
- Appointments and designees (items 17'34): multiple approvals; roll-call votes recorded, with occasional abstentions recorded for specific items.

What's next: the board will reconvene at its next scheduled meeting; several administrative appointments and contract authorizations take effect for calendar-year 2026 as recorded in the meeting minutes.

Sources: Meeting transcript, Clermont County Board of Commissioners, Jan. 7, 2026.