Tate Township, Ohio
August 2023 Special Trustee Meeting Summary
Summary of the special meeting of the Tate Township trustees held August 3, 2023.
Trustees Gary Reed, Bob Redden, and John Wilson and Fiscal Officer Kathy Brannock were present for the meeting. The meeting was held to update the public on the progress of the Solar and Wind Energy Zoning Regulations. The trustees answered questions and heard residents’ comments. The trustees do not yet have a final draft and did not take any action at the meeting.
Some of the information from the trustees about their work on the Solar and Wind Energy Zoning Regulations:
- Why are we revising our zoning regulations? – The revised zoning regulations to include solar and wind energy are a result of HB 501 (effective 4/6/2023) that includes “…in reference to Ohio RC 519.213 to subject small solar facilities to local regulations. Small solar facilities means solar panels and associate facilities with a single interconnection to the electrical grid and designed for, or capable of, operation at an aggregate capacity of less than fifty megawatts.”
- Does Nestlewood have to abide by the new Tate Township zoning regulations? – The 610 acre Nestlewood solar farm located partly in Tate Township and mostly in Brown County is grandfathered in to go by their own rules, but any plans to grow their facilities, (no addition applications have been applied for) would have to meet the Tate Township Wind and Solar Zoning Regulations.
- Why didn’t someone stop the solar farm?– The townships in Ohio were not given any authority to approve or veto the utility-scale solar farms until Senate Bill 52 was approved. After SB 52 ( effective 10/8/2022), the Board of Clermont County Commissioners are now able to take into account each township’s stance on utility-scaled alternative energy facilities. “…to permit a board of county commissioners to prevent power siting board certification of certain wind and solar facilities,” Trustee Gary Reed has filed the needed letter to let the County know that Tate does not want any more utility-scale solar farms.
- Why didn’t someone tell us about the solar farm? – The current solar project, now owned by Nestlewood made the required 3 notices to the public by sending out letters to local residents on 10/17/2018, on 3/21/2019, and again on 4/18/2019. The letters informed the local residents and gave notice of meetings that were held at various locations. Public notices were placed in the Clermont Sun and the News Democrat at the time. More public information is available by searching online for Case# 18-1546-EL-BGN: Nestlewood Solar Facility or follow this LINK.
Legal Notice Special Meeting
A special meeting of the Tate Township Trustees will be held this Thursday, 8/3/2023 at 6:00pm to discuss the Choice One solar proposal. Official notice attached here: special meeting
Road Delays on Saltair Canter Road
This week, Monday 7/31/23, Monday through 8/3/23, Thursday you should expect possible delays on Saltair Canter Road because of a culvert replacement.
Special Tate Township Trustees Meeting
A special meeting of the Tate Township Trustees will be held Wednesday, July 19, 2023 at 6:00 pm to discuss the fire levy. The meeting will be held at the Bethel-Tate Fire Department meeting room, 149 N East Street.
July 2023 Trustee Meeting Update
NOTE: This is not the official minutes of the last meeting. It is simply a highlight of the reports given by the departments and information from the meeting that may be of interest to the residents of Tate Township. More details can be found in the official meeting minutes once they are approved by the trustees.
Summary of the regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees held July 11, 2023.
Trustees Gary Reed, Bob Redden, and John Wilson and Fiscal Officer Kathy Brannock were present for the meeting. The official June 2023 meeting minutes were approved: Jun 13 2023 trustee mtg
The trustees began the meeting. The resolution from the previous meeting was read that limits speakers to 3 minutes and requires that they are addressing the trustees, not the audience. A new resolution was approved to add a 2.5 mill levy for Fire and Medical emergency services to the ballot in November 2023.
The department reports for the month of June 2023:
- Zoning- There were 7 permits issued consisting of 1 deck, 1 inground pool, 2 single family dwellings, 2 sheds, and 1 room addition. The variance meeting was held on June 27, 2023 for 2 separate requests that were passed. The trustees agreed to have Alicia Blankenship replace David Brannock on the Tate Township Zoning Board.
- BTFD- BTFD JUL 2023 Update There were 144 total calls, 39 fire and 105 EMS. They responded to 5 structure fires and saved over $234,000 in fire loss. The response times are acceptable, averaging 1.2 minutes out the door. The hydrant flushing continues. The village hydrant flushing is complete and they are onto the rest ofd the township. Tate Monroe did not install any new hydrants in June due to other issues with water leak repairs. There are 2 vehicle recalls to be done on 2 seperate ambulances which will be completed one at a time at Beechmont Ford.
- Deputy Pike- In June he handled 80 calls, took 36 reports, had 20 traffic contacts, made 13 warrant arrests, conducted 43 investigations, and assisted other departments 25 times.
- Cemetery- There were 7 interments, 7 foundations ordered, and 5 graves sold. The downspouts were installed for the cemetery shelter.
- Trustee Bob Redden got news that his grant application for the paving of the shelter parking lot was awarded $90,000. This will allow Tate to use the $20,000 in grant monies towards a veterans memorial that is being planned to be placed in that immediate area of the cemetery, Picture is of Bob Redden receiving the earlier grant check from the Duke Energy Grant.
- Trustee Bob Redden got news that his grant application for the paving of the shelter parking lot was awarded $90,000. This will allow Tate to use the $20,000 in grant monies towards a veterans memorial that is being planned to be placed in that immediate area of the cemetery, Picture is of Bob Redden receiving the earlier grant check from the Duke Energy Grant.
- Roads- They have mowed 4 times this year. They are currently working on cutting the trees back on township roads. They replaced 1 private culvert pipe on Macedonia Road. The township clean-up event last weekend went well.There were helpers from the Village of Bethel, Township Trustees, Deputy Pike, and the County Community Service group. The vehicle count was 408. Ed will have a complete report at the next meeting. After an executive session (in private), the trustees approved an additional maintenance department employee for a one year probation period.
- Public Participation- Approximately 20 residents expressed their views on solar use in the township.
- The trustees passed a resolution in regards to solar.
- The next regular township trustee meeting is August 8, 2023.
June 2023 Trustee Meeting Update
Summary of the regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees held June 13, 2023.
Trustees Gary Reed, Bob Redden, and John Wilson and Fiscal Officer Kathy Brannock were present for the meeting. The official May 2023 meeting minutes were approved: May 9, 2023 Minutes and May 23 2023 Trustee Special Mtg.
The department reports for the month of May 2023:
- Zoning- There were 5 permits issued that included 1 pole/garage, 1 shed, 1 deck, 1 SFD, and 1 pole barn. There were 2 Variance requests. The variance request meeting will be held 6/27/23 at 7pm at the BTFD meeting room. There was a resignation on the Zoning Board of Appeals. The trustees are searching for a replacement.
- Cemetery- There were 9 burials, 8 foundations ordered, and 4 graves purchased. They poured the footers for 17 stones. They have packed down the parking lot for the shelter. Everything looks great.
- Roads- The crew set 2 culverts in private drives on township roads. They are working on birming and patching roads.
Reminder: The Tate Township Clean-Up dates are coming up, Friday and Saturday, 7/7 & 7/8/2023. Times for both dates are 7:00am to 5:00pm. Location is the Maintenance site at Spring St. There will be a small fee collected for tire disposal that is determined by tire size. - Deputy report- Deputy Pike responded to 74 calls, wrote 24 new reports, responded to 2 traffic crashes, and closed 28 reports. He will be at the clean-up to help verify Tate residency.
- Bethel-Tate Fire Department- There were a total of 134 call with 27 fire and 107 EMS with response times all within the acceptable times. Update on the grant for the fire hydrants, the installed total is now 48. The haevy rescue truck (1994) is now severely leaking. They have converted 2 field unit Jeeps. They are currently performing fire hydrant flushing that is required.
- Trustee Bob Redden-
- We received a grant from the EPA for 2 years of Tate Clean-Up days to cover 75% of the cost to the township for the dumpsters and trucks. Total grant $16,800.00.
- We received over $10,000.00 worth of trees through the Take A Root project. The grant provided mature trees that are ALB resistant to Tate Township residents. If you missed it, the Take A Root project director has committed to granting us another delivery next year (2024).
- We also received a 2nd grant for our cemetery shelter project to bring the total shelter grant money to $20,000.00. That’s $10,000.00 from the Clermont County Parks grant and $10,000.00 from Duke Energy.
- At the township clean-up we cannot accept batteries, the Bethel O’Reilly’s store said they are accepting any batteries for disposal.
- The resolution was passed to give order to public participation at trustee business meetings can be reviewed here: Public Participation At Township Business Meeting and can be found on the Government page of the Tate Township website.
Bethel-Batavia Pipeline Work
There are several work sites within Tate Township where Duke Energy crews are working on a gas pipeline. Their schedule suggests that construction will continue through December 2023 and restoration of the grounds will be completed in the Spring of 2024.
Information from Duke Energy:
Pipeline Facts and Figures
- Natural gas pipeline from Bethel to Batavia. See Interactive Map.
- 13-15 miles long
- Constructed with steel pipe with a fusion-bonded epoxy coating to prevent rust
- State-of-the-art safety and inspection features
Project Need
Supports Growth
The Bethel-Batavia Pipeline would allow us to meet the increased demand on our natural gas system in our eastern Ohio service area.
For any questions about the project, email the project team at BBPipeline@duke-energy.com, call the project hotline at 513.287.2130 or visit duke-energy.com/bbpipeline.
ALB Asian Longhorned Beetle Update
ALB update from 5/26/2023 announcement:
Adult Emergence Begins
The weather is warm enough that Asian longhorned beetle is starting to emerge. If you take a walk, take a look. See if the trees you’re looking at have any signs of the beetle. From exit holes to weeping sap to sawdust-like wood shavings or look for the beetle itself, then report the signs by calling 1-866-702-9938 or online here.
Photo showing an adult beetle creating an exit hole by chewing its way out of a tree. Exit holes are approximately 3/8 inch in diameter…big enough to put a pencil in!
ALB in OHIO. OHIO – First detection: June 2011
Regulated Area: 49 sq. miles* in Clermont County
Tate and Williamsburg Townships
Infested Trees: 21,741
34 East Fork Recreational Area, 48 Monroe Township, 21,656 Tate Township, 3 Stonelick/Batavia Township
Removals: 116,893
21,604 Infested, 95,289 High-Risk Hosts
Surveys: 4,353,746
Marshalling Yard- The wood disposal yard located at 2896 State Route 232 in Bethel is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Wood chips are available for residents from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. on the first Saturday of every month. For more information, please call 513-381-7180 or click Ohio.
Bethel Historical Museum Hosts Antiques On The Square
This Saturday, June 3, 2023 from 9:00am to 4:00pm on the lawn of the Bethel Historical Museum located on the corner of Main and Plane Streets in Bethel, vendors will have tables set up to sell antiques and vintage collectables. Stop by to browse, or buy antiques, then take a walk through the museum that will be open for extended hours. Come up early to see the antique tool boxes before they sell.
Enjoy the food truck featuring grilled cheese and southern fried food that will be set up on Plane Street Saturday. Don’t miss the ANTIQUES ON THE SQUARE brought to you by the Bethel Historical Society.
Bethel-Tate 2023 Graduation and Tractor Parade
The 2023 Bethel-Tate seniors will have their graduation practice at the high school on Monday, May 22, which means… the tractor parade!! The parade is scheduled to begin at 8:00am. The seniors will ride their tractors through the town, starting at the Bethel-Tate Middle School back parking lot, turning onto Fossyl Drive, then South Street, S. East Street, and finally onto E. Plane St./SR 125 until they reach the high school.
The 2023 graduation ceremony information (copied from BTHS web page):
- Commencement will be held on Monday, May 22 at Crossroads East (next to Jungle Jim’s). Commencement will begin promptly at 7:00 p.m. The doors to Crossroads will be open to the public beginning at 6:00 p.m. Guests will not be able to enter the seating area until 6:30 pm.
- There is parking available in front of and behind Crossroads. Crossroads has entrances in the front and back of their building.
- No tickets are required for guests of the graduates.
