What Happened at the Last Tate Township Trustee Meeting?
Summary of the regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees held September 12, 2023.
These are not the approved minutes of the meeting. They are unofficial notes. Trustees Gary Reed, Bob Redden, and John Wilson were present for the meeting.
The official meeting minutes from August 8, 2023 were approved.
After a few resolutions to approve for meeting minutes, bills, and payroll, Gary Reed reminded the residents in attendance about resolution 6132-20 that the trustees unanimously approved on 6/13/23. Public Participation At Township Business Meeting
The August department reports:
- Cemetery Report: There were 10 burials, 10 foundations ordered amd 11 graves sold (6 in township/5 out of township sales). They poured 14 footers with 6 more to be poured soon. They finished grading section 23. This section has turned out to look really good with plenty of grade now that the work has been completed. The new Gator has arrived and they are using the old Gator for the cemetery concrete work vehicle.
- Road Report: Ed was able to get 100 tons of blacktop grindings delivered and donated from Brown County Construction from a job. Ed also got 120 tons of clean limestone donated to be used for the township road birming projects. The maintenance crew has been Duropatching the township roads. They had to take down 3 trees and the BTFD used the ladder truck to assist them with one.
- Deputy Report: Deputy Pike handled 79 calls, took 19 reports, made 4 criminal arrests, conducted 42 investigations, closed 22 reports, and assisted other departments 21 times. He participated in August in Burke Park for the National Night Out for youths.
- BTFD Report: BTFD Sep 2023 Update Total calls for August were 163. There were 43 fire calls, with 5 structure fires. The crews did an excellent job. Total fire loss was $7,100.00 and total saved was $258,000.00. No new hydrants have been installed last month by Tate Monroe Water. The Duke Bethel/Batavia gas pipeline is on schedule to be wrapped up in October. The levy for the BT fire department are almost finished. The goal is to have them mailed to all residents by October 1st. Levy signs will be out in October as well. Action was taken on a resignation, 2 hires, and a fire cadet. This puts the cadet number up to 10 which is just were we want to be. With the several structure fires lately in Tate Township, the Chief complimented the department with “very good fire knockdowns on all occasions minimizing the fire loss on all 3 structures.”
- Zoning Report: Rob reported both July and August activities. There were 9 permits that included 1 home occupancy, 1 pole barn/garage, 2 room additions, 1 inground pool, 2 garages, 2 single family dwellings, and 1 variance. Rob suggested that the complaints he receives should be reported on a form for clarity, paper trail, and his organization. He has a draft that he will finalize and post to the website. This process should help the residents.
- The trustees asked Alex from Choice One to come to the meetingto answer questions about the draft of the Alternate Energy: Solar resolution. The trustees brought up a few minor changes they would like to see done. Alex said that he could complete the changes by the end of week so the the trustees could get legal counsel to review it.
- After public participation, the meeting was adjourned at 8:46pm.
- The next meeting will be October 10, 2023 at 7:00pm.
Summary of the regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees held August 8, 2023.
These are not the approved minutes of the meeting. They are unofficial notes meant to inform the reidents until the official minutes are posted. Trustees Gary Reed, Bob Redden, and John Wilson and Fiscal Officer Kathy Brannock were present for the meeting. The official meeting minutes from 7/11/2023, 7/19/2023, and 8/3/2023 were approved: Jul 11 2023 Trustee Mtg Jul 19 2023 Special Mtg. Aug 3 2023 Special Mtg
The trustees began the meeting by hearing the July department reports:
- Bethel-Tate Fire Department- BTFD Aug 8 2023 Update They made a total of 168 calls, 46 fire calls of which 11 were in Village, 30 in the Township, and 5 mutual aid to other departments. They saved $75,000 in property damage and there was 1 civilian injury. EMS had 122 calls (76 township, 40 village, and 6 mutual aid calls). Tate Monroe installed 4 hydrants, bringing the total to 53 hydrants that were acquired through grant monies. There are 6 remaining hydrants to be installed. The department has to backflush the dry hydrants which should happen within the next 2 weeks. The 2 ambulances that received recall notices are now fixed and back in service. The ’21 ambulance is at Kerry Ford/ Tri County to address a transmission issue that is under warranty. They are waiting on the answer for the FEMA grant they put in for $193,000 to cover new 2-way radios that will replace obsolete radios before 2025. The department is busy at this time of year making school inspections and along with mass casualty training for new administrators and employees. They have applied for the OHIO VAC grant for $50,000 to be used for equipment only used by volunteers in the department. This is a 5 to 1 grant which means for every $5 of grant money Tate will contribute $1. The Chief has a Zoom meeting with Duke on 8/29/23 to hear about the Bethel-Batavia pipeline progress. The department is working on language for fire protection to be included in the zoning regulations.
- Cemetery – There were 7 burials, 7 foundations ordered, 1 grave sold, and they poured 16 foundations. They currently have 14 more to pour before Labor Day.
- Roads – The crews have been trimming trees, around signs on township roads. They installed 2 separate culverts on Saltair Maple Road and 1 on Macedonia Road. They are waiting on the State to replace another before they begin paving. Brown County donated 150 tons of road grindings for our use. All of the maintenance department concluded a required webinar on 2-lane safety training.
- Zoning – Not present
- Officer Pike – Nothing to present right now.
- Resident question about the BTFD levy that will be on the ballot in November 2023. What is it needed for? Trustees responded that the resolution was approved at the July 11, 2023 meeting for a 2.5 mil levy for Fire and Medical emergency services Chief Stowell addressed the need. We haven’t had a department levy since 2014. Our department costs (i.e fuel and medical equipment) have gone up a lot just like everything else. We maintain an ISO rating of 3. This rating can mean lower home insurance costs to our residents. We provide the best life-saving service with quick response times. You know from my reports that we make excellent use of grant money in this department. We would not ask for additional tax money if we did not truly need it. The Issue will go on the ballot this November for 2.5 mil which will cost homeowners $88 a year for a $100,000 valuation beginning in 2024. An informational mailer will go out to residents sometime in September.
- Several residents commented on their concerns and ideas for the Solar and Wind Zoning regulations that are currently being drafted. The trustees are now working on the zoning draft with all the input they have received.
- Next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, 9/12/2023 at 7:00pm.
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.
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.
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.
Summary of the regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees held May 9, 2023.
Trustees Gary Reed, Bob Redden, and John Wilson were present for the meeting. The official April 2023 meeting minutes were approved:Apr 11 2023 Trustee Mtg
Cemetery Report- In April, there were 7 burials, 4 graves sold, and 6 foundation orders placed. They poured 17 footers 3 weeks ago and plan to pour another 17 tomorrow.Trustee Reed commented- The shelter looks good with the gutters installed. You did a nice job with the grading around it. Trustee Redden commented- I recently applied for the 2023 grant from the Clermont County Park District. I received a letter today that says Tate Township has been awarded a $10,000 grant to be used towards the cemetery shelter.
Roads report- The first mowing of the the roads is finished. The crew completed two days of pot hole repair on township roads. They replaced 4 culverts. Clermont County road crew has ditched Moore road in preparation for the bridge replacement.
BTFD report- BTFD May 2023 Update In April 2023 there was a total of 162 calls with the fire total calls 53 and the EMS total 109. Average en route time is 1.5 minutes and average response time is 5.5 minutes. Tate- Monroe Water has installed 38 new hydrants since we received the grant in 2021. 19 more have been marked, once they are installed that will bring the total to 57. The biggest complaint they are hearing from residents is from the ground work that is done around the new hydrants. Residents need to be patient with the dirt that needs to settle around the new hydrants. The BTFD did a Mock Crash last Friday at the high school, prom night weekend. SRO Randy McElfresh and A/C Cooper put everything together with the Ohio State Police, UC Air Care, Clermont County Coroner’s Office and Bethel-Tate Fire Department. It was well received by the students and staff.
Swearing in full-time firefighter/Medic Zachary Downing, who replaced the vacancy created from Dave Long retiring.
Swearing in Steve Troutman for the 2nd Lt position.
Swearing in SAFER Grant Full Time firefighter/EMT-B Lucas Rueb.
Swearing in SAFER Grant Full Time firefighter/EMT-B William Vince Welch.
Swearing in SAFER Grant Full Time firefighter/EMT-B Patrick Salvatore-
Three Fire Cadets, Dakota Day, Autumn Morlatt, and Chloe Stamm, were approved by the trustees to bring the Fire Cadet count up to 7. The Fire Department’s Ladies Auxiliary Quarter Auction on April 20, 2023 profited $3,007.00. Hose testing for 7000 feet of hose will be done next month. The hose needs to be tested annually.
Zoning report from Rob-He issued 9 permits and assigned 6 addresses.
Deputy Pike’s report- In the month of April, he handled 77 calls, took 25 reports, and 1 accident report. He assisted other departments 18 times, made 2 criminal arrests, conducted 30 investigations, and closed 19 reports.
Trustee Redden wants residents to know that Take A Root is giving 175 trees away on May 20 at the Grant Career Center to Tate residents that have registered online through the link located in a post on Tate Township.
Next regular meeting is June 13, 2023 at 7:oopm.
Summary of the regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees, held March 14, 2023.
Trustees Gary Reed, John Wilson, and Kathy Brannock, the fiscal officer were present for the meeting. The official February 2023 meeting minutes were approved Feb 14 2023 Trustee Mtg
- Zoning news- Eight permits were issued.
- Deputy report- In February/2023, Dep. Pike handled 67 calls, wrote 16 reports, had 3 warrant arrests, assisted other departments 26 times, conducted 22 investigations, and closed 18 reports.
- BTFD report- BTFD Mar 2023 Update There were 148 total calls in Feb., 43 fire and 105 EMS. their times were 1.4 minutes out the door and an average of 5.5 minutes on the scene. Fire loss was $16,000.00 and property saved was $53,000.00. The SAFER grant top 3 part-time firefighters will move to full-time when FEMA funds are available, which is estimated to be in April 2023. The Tate Monroe fire hydrant installation has resumed now that they have received their new tapping tool. The tornado was ruled to be an F0 that hit a total of 24 single-family homes (reported) on Bethel-New Richmond Road, Crane-Schoolhouse Road, and Macadamia Road. There was minor shingle damage on the BT fire department roof and the annex building across the street.
- Cemetery report- There were 5 burials, 4 footers ordered, 2 graves sold. They used the new shelter for the first time on 3/3/23. They will need bids for downspouts and a better parking lot.
- Roads report- They had 24.63 tons of salt. The Tate Township clean-up dates are set for July 7th & 8th, 2023. Friday and Saturday will both be 7:00am to 5:00 pm drop for residents with proof. There is a small fee for tires that will be passed on to the resident. No paint, yard waste, or batteries can be accepted.
Summary of the regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees, held April 11, 2023.
All trustees and the fiscal officer were present for the meeting. The official March 2023 meeting minutes were approved Mar 14 2023 Trustee Mtg and the March special meeting was approved. Mar 20 2023 Special Trustee Mtg
The trustees passed a resolution to prohibit large solar facilities and large wind farms into the entity of Tate Township. the road construction/paving contract for Macedonia Road was awarded to Roberts Paving for approximately $123,000.00. The trustees accepted a bid for the 6″ gutters and downspouts to be installed on the memorial shelter for $1500.00.
The trustees will be getting bids to update the township zoning regulations in order to add regulations and update language. The current zoning regulations are old and outdated which limits the trustees ability to keeep up with rules and reguations that the residents want.
- Zoning news- Seven permits were issued (1 Occupancy, 3 Single Family Dwelling, 1 Solar, and 2 Garage)
- Deputy report- In March/2023, Deputy Pike handled 78 calls, wrote 18 reports, had 6 traffic contacts, had 3 warrant arrests, assisted other departments 29 times, and conducted 23 investigations. The Junk/Clean Up dates in July have been requested for municipal court help. They will be available to help on Friday 7/7 and maybe on Saturday 7/8. Pike said there is a new law that is in effect and they will begin ticketing for in October. The Text & Drive law is a primary violation which means that officers can and will pull vehicles over when they see the driver holding any device, whether they are using it or not. The driver of a vehicle is not allowed to hold any phone, tablet, or other media device.
- Zoning report- The 2 trailers on N East Street are now gone and will not be replaced.
- Cemetery report- In March 2023 there were 9 burials, 5 foundations ordered, and 2 graves sold. The trustees approved the puchase of a Gator golf cart for cemetery use.
- Roads report- They have been working on picking up limbs, trees and other storm damage and taking it to the marshaling yard. Clermont County has ditched up to Patterson Road. They expect to replace 8 private property culverts this summer to improve the water flow in the ditches.
- BT Fire Dept. report- BTFD April 2023 Update In March 2023 there were 199 calls (71 fire and 128 EMS). They had $0 fire loss. There was 1 minor injury due to a chain saw. Tate Monroe Water has installed 22 hydrants since the last meeting for a total of 29 installed hydrants. The insurance has approved the roof repair to this (BTFD) building and while visiting the annex building, the insurance company decided to replace the ceiling tiles inside the building
- BTFD- Ladies Auxiliary will resume their annual quarter auction this year on April 20th at the Bethel-Tate Middle School as a fundraiser. Everyone is welcome. The doors open at 6pm and the auction begins at 7:00pm.
- Resident discussions- A resident asked if the trustees could record the meetings and then post the recording to the website. They will look into it. Another resident is upset with a neighbor that runs engines that are loud at all hours of the day, making it difficult to have any outdoor activities. He asked for a noise ordinance to be put into the new regulations. Deputy Pike said the law considerers noise a freedom as long as it is reasonable. Usually in Ohio the law considers any loud noise after 11pm to be unreasonable. Please call the Clermont County Sheriff’s office to report loud noise or any other violations so that Pike can investigate it.
- Next regular trustee meeting is May 9, 2023 at 7:00pm.
Summary of the regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees, held February 14, 2023.
All trustees and the fiscal officer were present for the meeting. The official January 2023 meeting minutes were approved. Jan 10 2023 Trustee Mtg
- BTFD Report for January 2023 was given. There were 166 calls in total, 50 fire department and 116 EMS. The crews were 1.3 minutes out the door and 5.5 minutes average to on the scene. They saved $1.5 millio in property. The SAFER grant will pay for 3 additional full-time employees that will begin April, 2023. Dave Long retired and the 1st Assistant Chief position will be filled by Chris Cooper. BTFD Feb 2023 Update
- The Clean-Up dates for 2023 for Tate Township
will be Friday and Saturday, July 7th & 8th, 2023 from 7:00am to 5:00pm both dates. Clean-Up 2023 HERE
- The remainder of the meeting was dedicated to information and conversation about solar farms and planning. Read the notes from the meeting HERE.
- Next meeting will be March 14, 2023 at 7:00pm.
Summary of the regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees, held January 10, 2023.
All trustees and the fiscal officer were present for the meeting. The official December 2022 meeting minutes were approved,
Department reports for December 2022:
- A resident complained about the solar farm going in on the east side of the township. The trustees responded that the decision is not in the local hands. The County Commissioners are in charge. The trustees shared that the township has a contract with Clermont County that assures us they will make repairs to any damages incurred by the installation, maintenance, and removal of anything that is a part of the solar farm.
- A resident is worried about the increased presence of the coyotes. They go after his dogs and he fears they will go after his grandkids when they visit. Deputy Pike informed the man that he does not need a permit to shoot a coyote on his property. They are considered a nuisance. As long as he uses safe gun practices and does not put anyone in harm’s way, he is allowed to kill coyotes.
- Zoning-December 2022 report- There were 2 permits issued in December for a garage and a porch.
- Cemetery report- December 2022, there were 7 burials, 2 foundation orders, and sold 9 graves.
- Roads report- They have been trimming trees and clearing debris in culverts and in the right of ways on township owned roads.
- Gary Reed remarked on Cashious Bell (1927- 2023) who passed away on 1/7/23 at the age of 95. Cashious was the 1st sexton of the Tate Township cemetery and hand dug each grave (in 4 hours) for at least 16 years until a backhoe was purchased. Gary remembers walking through the cemetery when he was a kid and talking to Cashious as he was digging a grave.
- Next meeting will be February 14, 2023.
Summary of the regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held December 13, 2022.
All trustees and the fiscal officer were present for the meeting. The official November 2022 meeting minutes were approved, Nov 8 2022 Trustee Mtg
Department reports for Nov./2022:
- Zoning- There were 4 permits and 1 variance issued. Permits were for 1 garage, 1 pole barn, 1 Acc bldg, 1 sign, and 1 variance for placement of a garage.
- Deputy reported- He handled 79 calls, took 18 reports, had 1 accident report, assisted other departments 29 times, conducted 29 investigations, closed 21 reports, and recovered $9,930 in stolen property. He also assisted the Bethel Police with the Down Home Christmas festivities.
- BTFD reported 156 total calls, 108 were EMS and 48 were fire responses.They averaged 1 1/2 minutes to get out the door and 5 minutes to be on the scene. Assistant Chief Dave Long will be retiring, officially in February 2023 with his last day to be in January, 2023. The application process is now closed. The next Asst. Chief will be sworn in at a trustee meeting. The reporting system used to track and bill for EMS no longer meets ther minimum requirements. To convert to the new reporting system, BTFD will need to purchase 3 new tablets. BTFD Dec 2022 Update
- Cemetery report- There were 8 burials, 4 graves sold, and 1 footer ordered. The ne memorial shelter was started and Trustee Bob Redden will submit the bills for the grant reimbursement.
- Roads report- They set one culvert on Patterson Rd. They will be putting up reflectors on the township roads for the snow plow turn-around areas.
- The next regular meeting will be January 10, 2023 at 7:00PM.
Summary of the regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held November 08, 2022.
All trustees and the fiscal officer were present for the meeting. The official October 2022 meeting minutes were approved, Oct 11 2022 Trustee Mtg
Department reports from October 2022:
- Bethel-Tate Fire Department reported there were 43 fire dept. calls and 108 EMS calls with $0 fire loss. No structure fires. The BTFD really appreciates ODOT paving of 125, the roads are now in much better condition. The newly striped fire truck was paid for with BTFD funds and not with taxpayer dollars. The BTFD Nov 2022 Update.
- Cemetery reported 11 burials, 4 foundations ordered, and 2 out of township grave sales. With the cost of concrete going up in January, they intend to begin the shelter (approximately 32 x 60ft.) soon. They received 14 loads of reclaim paving to be used for the shelter parking lot.
- Roads report: They have continued the ditching, set 3 township culverts on Hoover Rd. and 2 culverts on Shayler Rd.
- Zoning report: There is a variance meeting scheduled for a garage to be built 6 feet in front of the house. 12 permits were issued for 2 inground pools, 5 single family dwellings, 1 porch, 2 garages, 1 solar panels, and 1 room addition.
- Deputy stats: Deputy Pike handled 72 calls, took 17 reports, responded to 1 accident,served 4 warrants, assisted other departments 18 times, conducted 22 investigations, and closed 20 reports.
- The trustees want to remind residents to contact ODOT for any concerns about the state roads such as St Rt 125, St Rt 222, St Rt 232, and St Rt 133. For example, a resident asked that a turn lane be put in where St Rt 125 intersects Crane Schoolhouse Rd. and Macedonia Rd. This request would need to be sent to ODOT because it involves a state route. The township’s ability to maintain roads, pave, ditch, and replace culverts only applies to the township owned roads. The other roads are either private, village of Bethel, county, or state roads. A complete chart of the township roads can be found HERE on the Tate Township Roads & Maintenance page.
- The December trustee meeting will be on Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 7:00 PM.
Summary of the regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held October 11, 2022.
All trustees and the fiscal officer were present for the meeting. The official Sept. 2022 minutes were approved.
Reports for September:
- Bethel-Tate Fire Department report- There were a total of 122 calls, 22 fire and 100 EMS calls. The September report is here: BTFD Oct 11 2022 Update. Captain Welch is working to set up a firefighter recruitment class. Dave Taylor has installed new sonar equipment in the fire department rescue boat. They will train in the Spring with Pierce and Williamsburg Townships. This new sonar will show objects 100 feet underwater. Next month, Bethel-Tate FD and Clermont County Sheriff’s Department will work with Bethel Tate High School and their new resource officer Randy McElfresh to perform an active shooter training.
- Deputy Pike’s report- He handled 72 calls, took 29 reports, had 1 accident report, made 11 traffic contacts, assisted 15 other departments, made 2 criminal arrests and 4 warrant arrests and instigated 28 investigations. Pike also helped with traffic control during the recent Bethel-Tate Homecoming parade.
- Zoning report- There were. 2 total permits issued for an inground pool and a pole barn/garage
- Cemetery report- There were 2 burials, sold 8 graves sold (7 in township/1 out of township resident), and 6 foundations ordered. They poured the last round of foundations for headstones this month. All orders will be formed and poured after the winter. Work continues on the cemetery shelter area.
- Next regular trustees meeting will be November 8, 2022 at 7:00 PM.
Summary of the regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held September 13, 2022.
All trustees and the fiscal officer were present for the meeting. The official Aug 2022 minutes were approved. Aug 09 2022 Trustee mtg
- Deputy Eric Pike brought Deputy D. Bailey, an officer in training, to the meeting. In the month of August he responded to 79 calls, made 15 traffic stops, served 2 warrants, and assisted 19 other departments. During one of Pike’s calls to a farm injury situation, Dep. Pike told the trustees how impressive it was that off duty BTFD staff heard the call and responded to help, even bringing their own equipment to help.
- The trustees have had calls about large amounts of field grass blown onto the road. Dep. Pike suggested that residents call him when they encounter dangerous amounts of debris on the road.
- Cemetery- August report- There were 5 footers ordered, 5 graves sold (3 in township/ 2 out of township), 4 funerals were held on Saturdays, and they formed and poured 13 footers.
- Roads- August report- They replaced 2 culverts on Sugartree Rd,continue to ditch on Pitzer Rd, and have been patching with the Duropatcher machine.The fire department helped by using the water truck to blow out 2 resident culverts to open them up so they did not need replaced. The blacktopping is completed on Sprague Rd. The trustees approved outsourcing the work to re-open 200 feet of Kelch road to connect a resident’s easement.
- Bethel-Tate Fire Department- August report- They made a total of 164 calls, with 36 fire calls, $14,000 in fire damage, and $96,000 in property saved.. There was 1 civilian fire injury. There were 128 EMS calls. They responded to a triple fatality on 125. September report on August 2022: BTFD Sep 2022 Update. Rick told the trustees that we have a great grant writer Mickey Smith. He got the BTFD the SAFER grant, only the 3rd department in the state of Ohio to receive the grant. The department will purchase a storage rack for the gator to hold equipment during rescues.
- Next regular meeting is October 11, 2022 at 7:00 pm.
Summary of the special meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held September 1, 2022.
All trustees and the fiscal officer were present for the meeting. The official 9/1/22 minutes are linked HERE
The meeting was held in public with the township lawyer attending to go over the resolution presented by the solar panel company and Clermont County Commissioners. The resolution contains the terms of the maintenance of the township and county roads during both the construction period and the deconstruction period.
Summary of the regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held August 9, 2022.
All trustees and the fiscal officer were present for the meeting. The official July minutes were approved. July 12 2022 Trustee mtg
Department reports for July 2022:
- Deputy- National night out was held the week before this meeting and everyone had a good time.
- Zoning- There were 5 permits issued- 3 pole barn/garages, 1 single family dwelling, 2 inground pools, and 1 car port. Two variances were heard and passed.
- BTFD- July report- There were 181 calls. 56 fire calls reporting a loss of $4000 and saving over $1.5 million. No injuries. All response times are good. The crews have completed flushing and maintenance on all the fire hydrants. The battery powered rescue tools are now in use. August report BTFD Aug 2022 Update
- Cemetery- In July there were 4 burials, 6 foundations ordered and 2 graves sold out of township residents. The new property has been cleared and Rumke hauled the debris away. The parking lot next to the shelter should measure 150 by 150 ft. This project is funded by a grant from the Clermont County Park District.
- Roads-Work on Sprague Road continues with 4 cprivate culverts replaced and 2 road culverts replaced. Five culverts where blown out with water hose. Road will be ready to pave end of September. Salt price is going up considerably but we purchased before the price hike and have enough stocked for this coming winter.
- Next meeting is September 13, 2022 at 7:00 pm.
Summary of the July 2022 regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held July 12, 2022.
All trustees and the fiscal officer were present for the meeting. The official June minutes were approved. Jun 14 2022 Trustee Mtg
Department reports for June 2022:
- Deputy- Had 72 calls, took 26 reports, assisted other departments 11 times, made 4 criminal arrests, conducted 37 investigations, and closed 28 reports.
- Zoning- There were 13 permits issued- 4 pole barn/garages, 2 single family dwellings, 2 inground pools, 2 porches. 1 room addition and 2 variance requests to be heard on July 26, 2022 at 7:30pm at the BTFD meeting room,
- Cemetery- There were 11 burials, 3 foundations ordered, and 0 graves sold. A couple trees were taken down and cleaned up after the storm.
- Roads- They continue to work on Sprague Road and set 3 culverts. They received the new air compressor. It took the department about 4 days to go around the township roads and clean up after the storms. They added stone to repair various turn arounds on township dead-end roads that the snow plows use during the winter. Information: The Clermont County Engineer’s office let the township know that CC will handle the road maintenance forms in reference to the township roads affected by the installation of the solar panels.
- BTFD- There were 167 total calls, 58 fire and 109 EMS with 1.2 minutes out the door and 4.6 avg. minutes to on the scene. $0 fire loss. They had a lot of storm runs. The new ambulance A/C went out but is under warranty. Mt Orab Fod is waiting on parts. BTFD Jun 2022 Update
- Tate Township Clean-Up was June 11 & 12, 2022. Everything went well. Special thanks to all trustees, Clermont Cty. Sheriff Deputy Pike, Clermont Cty. Municipal Court, and Village of Bethel for everyone’s help during the clean-up.
- Next regular trustee meeting is Aug. 9, 2022 at 7:00pm.
Summary of the June 2022 regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held June 14, 2022.
- All three trustees and the fiscal officer were present at the June meeting. Gary Reed, Bob Redden, John Wilson, and Kathy Brannock. Minutes approved May 10 2022 Trustee Mtg
- Cemetery- May ’22 Report-There were 10 burials, 4 foundations sold, 6 graves (all in township residents) sold. They will have 37 foundations sold within the next 2 months.
- Deputy Report for May ’22- Deputy Pike answered 72 calls, took 33 reports, wrote 3 accident reports, made 7 traffic contacts, made 3 criminal arrests, and conducted 48 investigations. He closed 31 reports.
- Roads & Maintenance – May ’22 Report- All roads have been mowed at least once, some twice. Clean-up went well. All the trustees were there to help out. The Village of Bethel also sent 4 helpers and money to cover costs.
- BTFD- May ’22 Report- There were 145 total calls in May. 37 fire calls with no injuries and $14,000 in fire loss. 108 EMS calls. The BTFD time remains under 5 minutes to the scene of an incident. BTFD will be starting on fire hydrant flushing soon with Village hydrants first. BTFD Jun 2022 Update
- Zoning-May ’22 Report- There were 2 permits issued, a room addition and a shed. 5/31/22- The zoning change for a campground at 2425 Bantam Rd from Agricultural to RS was approved by the trustees.
- The trustees have completed purchases that resulted in the addition of 12 acres that ajoins the existing Tate Township cemetery to help ensure room for future burials.
- Next meeting is Tuesday, July 12, 2022 at 7:00 pm.
Summary of the May 2022 regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held May 10, 2022.
- The Regular meeting started at 7:00 pm with all trustees present.
- Public Participation: Brian from Village of Bethel said the DQ restaurant has an equipment supply shortage with the delay possibly lasting until November. A grocery Dollar General/ Market Place is considering a store on the west side of town. The Village is still actively seeking a “sit down” restaurant for Bethel.
- BTFD April 2022 report: They made 138 total calls, 36 were fire & 102 were EMS. The new ambulance is getting warranty work done, the 1980 Jeep has all the parts in and will be fixed soon. Thank you to Eric Smith for bringing his equipment to help clear out the tree behind the dumpster. They took the wood to the marshalling yard for disposal.
- Cemetery & Roads April 2022 report: There were 12 burials, 4 foundation orders, and 7 graves sold. The cemetery has already been mowed 5 times this year. They will start clearing the area in the cemetery for a parking and pavilion area. Tate received a $20,000 grant from the park district to help with costs.
- Zoning & Planning April 2022 report: There were 7 permits sold- 2 homes, 2 inground pools, 2 solar panels, and 1 pole barn.
- Deputy Pike April 2022 report: He made 73 calls, wrote 28 reports, 3 accident reports, 4 traffic contacts, 2 warrants served, assisted other departments 15 times, made 3 criminal arrests, conducted 33 investigations, and closed 25 reports.
Summary of the April 2022 regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held April 12, 2022.
- The Regular meeting started at 7:00 pm with all trustees present.
- Public Participation: Brian from the Village of Bethel said the Bethel Police are cracking down on speeders in town. They wrote 162 citations in the last month. Burke Fest will happen in the park on July 9th. There will be booths run by the youth football and cheer. The band Rider Anderson will kick off the music at noon with rifes, booths and music]c continuing until the fireworks at dark sponsored by the Bethel-Tate National Honor Society. They are still needing $3000 in donations to have the fireworks display.
- BTFD March 2022 report: BTFD Mar 2022 Update They responded to 38 fires with $0 in loss/$175,000 saved. They ran 134 EMS calls. 1 more hydrant has been installed/7 total. The FEMA grant money was spent on amazing battery operated evacuation tools. A big thank you to the BTFD for participating in the Newman walk from East Fork State Park to Burke Park.
- Deputy Pike March 2022 report: He had 65 calls, 1 crash, 4 trafficviolations, 2 criminal arrests, and assisted with 16 other calls. Bethel Hygiene Rd has been cleaned up through the Clermont Cty Sheriff’s Department.
- Cemetery March 2022 report: There were 11 burials, 4 foundations, and 5 graves.
- Roads & Maintenance March 2022 report: They set 4 private driveway culverts and a 36″ culvert on Ninichuck Rd at a cost of $2800.
- Zoning & Planning March 2022 report: Sold 5 permits (2 garage, 1 solar, 1 shed, 1 room addition). Talked about pool fence rules to clarify that pools under 4 feet should have surrounding fences.
- Next meeting is May 10, 2022.
Summary of the March 2022 regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held March 8, 2022.
- The Regular meeting started at 7:00 pm with all trustees present.
- Public Participation:
- Burkefest will happen in Burke Park on July 9th, with 3 bands sponsored by NHS. Burke Fund will donate $5000 towards the event. Bethel needs additional sponsorship to provide a fireworks display at the end of the festivities.
- Mr. Rudd is running for the county auditor and just came to the meeting to answer any questions.
- Zoning Report- There were 5 garage permits, 1 single family dwelling permit,3 solar panel permits, 1 room addition permit, and 1 shed permit issued in February 2022.
- Officer Pike reported for Feb/2022, he made 52 calls, wrote 18 reports, called to 1 accident, assisted other departments 10 times, and had 1 criminal arrest. He has arranged with the probation department at Clermont County to provide help for the Tate Township clean-up dates (June 10 & 11, 2022).
- BTFD Feb/2022 report- BTFD Feb 2022 Update -There were 70 fire and 107 EMS calls made. On a fire assist call in Pike Township, there was $70,000 fire loss. BTFD has received a FEMA grant for battery extraction tools. Some $ has been spent on stabilizing jacks. They will be purchasing the Rescue Jack Paratech System to complete the grant. A block heater has been installed in the water truck to repair it. News on the Hydrant grant, 6 have now been installed by Tate Monroe Water crew. Chief Stowell performed the swearing in of full time Firefighter/Medic Steve Troutman (pictured below).
Cemetery/ Roads Maintenance Feb 2022 report- February 2022 had 11 burials, 2 foundation orders, and 2 graves sold. The township roads were salted 3 times in February.
- June 10th & 11th will be Tate Township clean up dates. Times are from 7:00am to 5:00 pm each day. Residents will need ID to show at drop off on Spring Street.
- Bethel Tate Buzz Facebook page is a combined effort among all Bethel and Tate organizations to get information about events and news to the residents. A semi-annual newsletter mailing is in progress.
- Next meeting is April 12,2022 at 7:00 pm.
Summary of the February 2022 regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held February 8, 2022.
- The Regular meeting started at 7:00 pm with all trustees present.
- Public comments: A resident brought the trustees noise ordinances from other townships because he has noisy neighbors. There was discussion and Deputy Pike asked him to call when the noise was loud and he would help start the complaint process.
- BTFD report January 2022- There were 148 calls total, 108 EMS calls, 40 fire calls with an average 1.2 minutes out the door. Fire loss on Brown Street was $6500, where an attic fire was out out. Property saved was $187,000. In reference to the recent winter ice storm, the department received many compliments on the condition of the township roads versus county and state maintained roads. Both the maintenance and BTFD staff remained in contact to coordinate the 42 “tree down” calls.
- Jerry Welch, with his family in attendance, was sworn in by Chief Stowell as the new Captain of the Bethel-Tate Fire Department.
Captain Welch was brought on staff with the BTFD in October of 1982.
- Maintenance report January 2022- The cemetery had 11 burials, sold 2 foundations, sold 6 graves and bought back 6 gravesites from families no longer needing or wanting them. The roads were salted 7 times and plowed 4 times. There is still salt in storage but more has been ordered. There are still several trees that they are aware of that are still in the township roads right of way needing to be cut and cleared. they are attending to them as soon as possible. There was a question about the resident and township costs for private road culvert replacement, the trustees decided to table the discussion until the next meeting.
- The 2022 Tate Township Clean Up dates were decided at the meeting to be Friday, June 10, 2022 and Saturday, June 11, 2022 from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm both days. Verification of township residency will be required.
- Zoning January 2022 report- There were permits issued for 3 garages, 2 sheds, 3 single family dwellings, 2 solar panel installations, and 1 land usage. Zoning changes were approved for J.Carver at his business and E.White for a storage unit proposal.
- The trustees went into executive session at 8:12 pm.
- The next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 8, 2022 at 7:00 pm.
Summary of the January 2022 organizational and regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held January 11, 2022.
- The Organizational Meeting was held at 5:30 pm with trustees Gary Reed, John Wilson (new trustee), and Bob Redden present, along with Fiscal Clerk Kathy Brannock. The trustees appointed Gary Reed to remain as chairperson for the 2022 year. Fees were reviewed and/or adjusted with each department.
- The Regular meeting started at 7:00 pm with all trustees present.
- Public Comments: A resident asked the trustees a question about a relative buried in Tate Township Cemetery.
- BTFD- December 2021 report- There were 208 runs. They made 57 fire runs with 7 structure fires, $100 fire loss, no injuries, and saved $500,000 in property. There were 151 EMS runs with response times within normal limits. The 2017 ambulance has been repaired and is back in service. Tate Monroe Water has installed 1 of 60 new hydrants. As each one is installed, the residents will receive a letter to inform their homeowners insurance for lower rates. The locations of the hydrants were picked by Chief Stowell based on population density, location of closest hydrant, and size of the water main. A total of 120 hydrants were purchased from grant monies. The fire and rescue boat is currently out of service, waiting on repairs to the engine. Additional COVID funds were received and will cover three (3) new sets of gear for fire personnel.
Dave Taylor was sworn in by Chief Stowell as the new Lieutenant at the January meeting as the trustees and department watch. Dave has been with BTFD since 2003.
- The trustees approved the 2022 Fire personnel roster.
- Deputy Pike reported he is recovering from COVID so he has no month or year-end report yet
- Zoning- Rob Williams was not present. There were no permits issued in Dec. 2021. The trustees approved Jon Pryor to be appointed to the Township Zoning Appeals Board, replacing John Wilson, who is now a township trustee.
- Cemetery & Roads- Dec. 2021 report- There were 7 graves sold. They purchased 80 tons of stone before the price increase. The roads have been salted once so far this year.
- Next regular meeting is scheduled for Feb. 8, 2022. Meetings are held the 2nd Tuesday of each month in the meeting room of the BTFD located at 149 N. East Street. The public is always invited.
Summary of the December 2021 regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held December 14,2021.
- Gary Reed brought the meeting to order at 7:00pm, Bob Redden was in attendance.
- BTFD Nov/2021 report- There were a total of 144 calls (41 fire & 103 EMS). $1800 loss to fire 1.2 minutes average response time, and average of 5 minutes to on the scene. There were no injuries. The Federal government gave Tate monies to use, the remaining amount will be combined with the $3000 from American Rescue Act to buy heart monitors, extra batteries, and sensors.
- Cemetery Dec/2021 report- There were 9 burials, 4 foundation orders, and 12 graves (6 in-township and 6 out of-township) sold. They would like to burm the cemetery road in section 21 to prevent rutting from cars parking along side of it.
- Roads & Maintenance Dec/2021 report- The crew is trimming trees along the roads, duro-patching roads and checking on culverts this last month. They would like to but additional rock to have stick before the price increase in January.
- Deputy Dec/2021 report- Officer Pike had 59 calls, finished 19 reports , had 12 arrests, issued 8 warrants, assisted 18 times with other departments, and closed out 20 reports. For the next 3 months, he will have an officer-in-training with him.
- Trustees- Discussed going to the annual Township convention in Columbus in February 2022.
- Jon Pryor has formed a new facebook page for communication called the Bethel Buzz. This site will link all the organizations in town to be a platform of communicating news and events to the community.
- The organizational meeting will be held on 1/11/2022 at 5:30 pm to go over any changes to pricing and fees for the year. The regular January meeting will be held on 1/11/2022 at 7:00 pm.
Summary of the November 2021 regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held November 9,2021.
- Gary Reed brought the meeting to order at 7:00pm, Bob Redden and Greg Burns were in attendance.
- BTFD Oct/2021 report- There were a total of 146 calls (32 fire & 114 EMS). No $ loss to fire and the average response time was within 5 1/2 minutes. All door buzzers at the station are now functioning properly. The new ambulance purchased with COVID dollars is headed to Akron for the finish assessories to be added. Trustee Redden asked if there was any way to notify residents within 1000 feet of the new hydrants so they can call their homeowners insurance and get a rate reduction. Chief Stowell gave the Oath of Office for 2 new full-time firefighters. Brian O’Neil will be retiring soon. He has been with BTFD since 1991. Cory Myers is moving to part-time.
- Cemetery Oct/2021 report- There were 17 burials (2 were on a Saturday), 4 foundation orders, and 12 graves (all out of township) sold.
- Roads & Maintenance Oct/2021 report- The Wilson Road paving project is completed and the bill came in $187 under the bid. Township roadside tree trimming will continue.
- Deputy Oct/2021 report- The stats are low because he was on vacation one week in October. He responded to 69 calls, wrote 9 reports, served 3 warrants, made 2 criminal arrests, and made 31 assists to other deputies. He checked into the noise ordinances and found they are written for bars, not for individual residents. Tate Township currently has the barking dog ordinance. He gives 1st offense a warning. Pike has needed to use it one time.
- Zoning Oct/2021 report- There were 5 permits issued and 1 variance request filed..
- The trustees and employees of the township would like to thank Greg Burns for 26 years of service to Tate Township. He was a volunteer BT firefighter for 15 years. We all wish him a happy retirement. Greg says he has enjoyed his time as a trustee and as a volunteer on the fire department. The Burns family was in attendance, gave Greg a retirement gift and brought cupcakes to share with everyone.
- Greg made his final motion to end the meeting. Next meeting on December 14, 2021. There will be a Zoning Variance Meeting on Monday, 11/15/21 at 7:00pm in the BTFD meeting room.
Summary of the October 2021 regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held October 12,2021.
- Trustees approved the meeting minutes from September 2021. Click Sep 14 2021 Mtg for the approved September 2021 minutes. You can find all past Tate Township approved meeting minutes HERE.
- BTFD September report- BTFD Sep 2021 Update The department made 188 total calls, 143 EMS and 45 FD calls with response time averaging 1.4 minutes for “out the door” and 5 minutes to the site. The fire department estimates $392,250 total fire lost to damages. They are working with Tate Monroe Water to mark for placement of water hydrants from the grant money. The BTFD has completed the hiring process for 2 new full-time positions to start Nov. 1st.
- Deputy September report- He responded to 104 complaints; had 21 calls; made 4 crime arrests; assisted other departments 50 times. Pike reported that the crime rate in Clermont County is down.
- Cemetery September report- There were 3 burials, 8 fondations sold, 4 graves purchased (3 in-township/ 1 out-of-township) and they poured 15 foundation orders for stone placement.
- Roads September report- Mowed the roads for the 4th time. They are currently working on writing a grant to fix and pave one of our township roads (Sugartree). They are looking at the estimates to decide what the township can afford even with the grant money. The car count has been completed. They will have 2 years to use the grant if awarded. The grant must be turned in by mid-November.
- Public comments/questions- Resident asking about noise ordinances because of a neighbor playing extreme load music at all hours of the day that he can hear inside his house. The current noise restriction is a County-wide ordinance that begins at 11:00pm.
- Public comments/questions- Resident asking about tree limb cutting rights when the limbs hang over the property line.
- Public comments/questions- Residents were at the meeting asking what to do about the house on the corner of Macedonia and Rt 133 that was bought to house a recovery home for 8 or more residents. The trustees have been told by the Clermont County Prosecutor’s office that recovery group homes are protected by the Federal government under the Fair Housing Authority Act and considered a disability group under Federal law. Trustee Reed expressed that he told Barbara Isermann from OnOurWayHome.org that our community is not the place for a recovery house that does not have a trained supervisor on site in a family neighborhood area that is 2 miles from town without sidewalks.
- Next meeting is November 9th, 2021 at 7:00pm in the BTFD meeting room.
Summary of the September 2021 regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held September 14,2021.
- Trustees approved the meeting minutes from August 2021 budget. Click for the approved August 2021 minutes. Aug 10 2021 Mtg. You can find all past Tate Township approved meeting minutes HERE.
- BTFD August report- BTFD Aug 2021 Update The department made 141 EMS calss and 50 FD calls with response time averaging 5 minutes. The fire department estimates $1,065,000 saved and $5,750 lost to damages. The business fire (across from BT high school) was totally enguklfed when the fire department arrived.Hydrants have been ordered with a future total of 60 to be ordered as part of grant money recently received for hydrant purchase. They are working together with Tate Monroe Water to place them. In new business, Brian O’Neil submitted his retirement letter effective 12/1/21.
- Cemetery report- In August 2021, there were 5 burials and 8 foundations ordered.
- Roads report- The crew replaced 2 culverts and have Wilson Road ready to pave. They are continue to work on securing grant money to widen some township roads.
- Zoning report- 9 permits were issued (2 single family dwellings, 2 garage, 2 accessory buildings, 2 decks, and 1 swimming pool).
- Public participation- Barbara Isemann, representing On Our Way Home, a nonprofit public charity, spoke to the trustees and residents in attendance about the recovery home they have planned for a home they have purchased in Tate Township. About 20 residents voiced their concerns and suggestions. A lawyer from the Clermont County Prosecutor’s office spoke up about the Federal Fair Housing Authority, which prevents local governments from making policies that discriminate against groups such as recovery addicts. The trustees allowed a 2+ hour open discussion so that all opinions could be heard. The charity web site is http://www.OnOurWayHome.org
- Next regular trustee meeting is October 12, 2021 at 7pm.
Summary of the July 2021 regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held July 13,2021.
- Trustees approved the 2022 budget and a 3-year contract with sheriff’s department for Eric Pike. Click for the approved June2021 minutes. Jun 8 2021 Mtg.
- Township residents questioned the trustees about a white bucket truck that cut down trees and limbs along Schaller Road because they leave behind the cuttings that fall into the ditch causing a dam. The trustees were unaware of this and said they were not notified. They want all residents to call the road department whenever debris is on a township owned road or in ditches along a township road. For a list or township maintained roads, go to the Road Maintenance page.
- Julia Carney introduced herself to the trustees and attendees, she is the new Assistant Prosecutor for Clermont County.
- June 2021 Cemetery report- 8 burials, 7 foundations ordered, and 3 graves sold.
- June 2021 Roads report- Township roads were mowed 2nd time. The new mowermax is expected at the end of the month. The Case boom mower will be put up for auction on Gov.com with a $15,000.00 reserve. The report from the 2021 clean-up posted HERE.
- June 2021 BTFD report- 164 calls were made (42 fire & 122 EMS). Average response time was acceptable. $155,000 damage sustained from a barn fire with the cause as undetermined. BTFD update links: BTFD May 2021 Update , BTFD June 2021 Update
- The Donald Road emergency siren is fixed and operating correctly.
- June 2021 Planning & Zoning report- 6 permits were issued for a total of $825. One BZA meeting was held. The trustees will look at adding an agricultural sales permit.
- June 2021 Deputy report- Pike responded to 79 calls, wrote 17 reports, had 1 accident report, wrote 3 tickets, and made 9 criminal arrests. He recovered $125,000 in stolen property and assisted the Village of Bethel with 38 calls.
- Next meeting is August 10, 2021 at 7:00pm.
Summary of the June 2021 regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held June 8,2021.
- Rob Williams was hired June 1, 2021 to be the Tate Township Zoning Inspector. George Eckert retire at the end of May and will help with the transition. Rob reprted 6 permits were issued in May.
- BTFD report from May, there were 33 Fire calls and 128 EMS calls, up 30% from normal numbers. There was 1 civilian fir injury from a kitchen fire. The new BTFD tanker will be able to go out on calls once everyone is qualified to drive it. They are ordering side-sonar to go on the boat for water recovery. This will allow them to see clearly down 120 feet for searches. Tate will be the only department in the area to have one. The money to purchase the sonar comes from proceeds made on drink purchases in the machines located at BTFD.
- Cemetery report from May, there were 4 burials, 9 foundations ordered, and 7 graves sold (5 in & 2 out-of township sales). A big thanks to the EMS crew for responding quickly to a possible heart attack patient during a burial.
- Roads report from May, The MowerMax is ordered and due in July. They discussed the amount of salt to purchase in 2022. The amount has to be locked in for the current rate. They discussed an issue with township roads when contractors and homeowners destroy the road pavement putting in their culvert pipes.
- Deputy report from May, reported that Tate residents are complaining of noise from the drive-in possibly due to trees removed nearby. The drive-in is in Monroe Township and was previously granted immunity from the county noise ordinance.
- Next meeting is July 13, 2021 at 7:00pm.
Summary of the May 2021 regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held May 11,2021.
- BZA Board appointed Kristen Wilson to fill a vacant spot..
- Cemetery report from April, there were 4 burials, 4 graves sold, and 10 foundations ordered. They have 28 more foundations to get completed by Memorial Day weekend. They will be needing to purchase more alterna-mats and plywood for funeral services when they cover the ground to protect the cemetery grounds
- Roads report for April, they have mowed all township roads once. They will be ordering a MowerMax to help cut up to 8 inch trees, bush-hog, stump grind, and ditch.
- BTFD report from April, they went on 32 Fire calls and 112 EMS calls. BTFD Apr 2021 Update. They are applying for a FEMA grant to 100% pay for additional full-time employees for 3 years.
Summary of the April 2021 regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held April 13, 2021.
- Bethel-Tate Local School District’s Superintendent Melissa Kircher and Treasurer Karen Royer presented information at the April meeting about the upcoming emergency 5-year renewal levy that is needed to replace the current levy expiring this December 2021. The renewal levy will not begin collection until 2022 which is after the current levy expires. Dave Brannock, school board president said this levy is to maintain the services we have right now in our schools. Each mil in the BT school district generates $200,000 in tax revenue. Royer added that she welcomes any calls from residents that want to know the exact cost of the renewal levy to their tax bill next year. For every $100,000 of your home’s appraised value, you can expect an additional $18.55 annually. The levy is Issue#1 on the ballot on May 4th. The Township Trustees gave their support for the levy. LEVY FACTS
- Deputy Pike reported in March 2021, he wrote 18 new reports, had 2 criminal arrests, and worked 27 investigations. He added that he goes out on all BTFD calls in the evenings when he is available. He thanked the fire department for their assistance recently.
- Cemetery report for March-There were 8 burials, 12 foundations sold, 13 graves sold (6 in-township/7 out-of-township). They are in the process of pouring the foundations as the weather is improving. They hope to have them caught up by Memorial Day. One lowering device was repaired and both were overhauled so they are in good working order.
- Maintenance report- The township Clean-Up dates are June 11 and 12, 2021 7:00am to 5:00pm. IDs will be checked for Tate Township (including Bethel) residents. There will be a small fee for tires. No hazardous materials will be accepted.
- Zoning report for March 2021- There were 4 new home permits and 4 new garage permits given. George Eckert has announced that he will retire on May 31. He has worked for the township for 40 years.
- BTFD report for March 2021-There were 131 calls of which 32 were fire and 99 were EMS. There was $1400 fire loss, no fire injuries. Response time is 1 1/2 minutes to get out the door. BTFD Mar 2021Update
- The trustees signed a resolution for the Clermont County All Hazard and Litigations Plan, which is a plan for the whole county to work together with the emergency management team.
- Next meeting is May 11, 2021.
Summary of the March 2021 regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held March 9, 2021.
- Tate Township Junk Clean Up dates are agreed to be June 11 & 12, 2021, Friday and Saturday from 7:00am to 5:00pm each day. It will be located at the Maintenance lot and Deputy Pike said he will get
additional help to help with unloading. IDs for township residency will be checked.
- Deputy report for Feb, 2021- He made 47 calls, made 3 warrant arrests, along with his reports, stops, and help to the village. Deputy Pike will be on day shift for up to 30 days in order to help the USDA in a project on St Rt 232 for safety.
- Zoning News for Feb, 2021-5 permits were issued. A new spreadsheet was designed and being used to report the progress of warnings issued to residents to clean-up when they are in zoning violation. Trustees can see the date of violations more easily. This will serve to make the township zoning enforcement more efficient.
- The trustees accepted a bid for the resurfacing of the township road Wilson Rd this summer.
- Bethel-Tate Fire Dept Feb, 2021 report- 131 calls were made. Of that, 27 were fire and 104 were EMS. The 2 vehicles that were posted to sell on the government auction site were sold in February. The trustees approved a resolution to continue the fire department mutual aid agreement within Clermont County for another 5 years. The Chief expects to have the township newsletter out on the web site in April 2021.
- Area news- There is a new company taking over the solar fields that are scheduled to built on the border of Clermont and Brown Counties. The new company will start in Fall 2021.
Summary of the February 2021 regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held February 9, 2021
- BTFD Jan/2021 report- Total of 140 calls with 31 fire and 109 EMS. Reported by Sean O’Neil. 75% of the staff have taken both COVID
vaccines. The 08 ambulance is out of service with a cracked piston and too expensive to repair versus the age and miles of the vehicle. It will be sold on the gov. deals auction site. The new firehose has been received which was purchased using grant monies.
- Cemetary report from Jan/2021- 15 burials, 13 graves purchased (10 in township/3 out of township), 9 foundations ordered. They discussed the option o building a permanent shelter for funeral set-ups that cannot be held grave side due to unsafe or wet conditions. Location and cost options will be reviewed and discussed in future meetings.
- Road report from Jan/2021-The new backhoe is in and working out well. They will post the Chevy 3500 that is rusted out and patched together on the gov.deals for auction sale. Township clean-up dates were discussed and will be finalized by the next meeting. In January, the road crew salted the roads 4X, plowed 3X, using 43 tons of salt.
- Zoning in Jan/2021- 2 permits were issued, fro a garage and a remodel.
Summary of the November 2020 regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held November 10, 2020.
- A resolution was made to use COVID relief funds for salaries.
- Zoning- In October there were 3 permits issued for 1 deck, 1 carport, and 1 variance.
- Cemetery- There were 10 burials, 9 foundation orders, and 10 graves sold ( 4 out of township/6 in township) in October.
- BTFD- In October ( BTFD Oct 2020 Update ), there were 138 calls of which 32 were fire and 106 were EMS. There was 1 arson case. They received $137,487 for dividends for COVID relief from Gov. DeWine. They are accepting the hose and nozzle bid from Heritage Fire Equipment for $94,849.99. This is FEMA grant money. The cost to Tate Township is 5%. Chief Stowell recommends (2) 3-way radios for the maintenance department to replace old radios for better communication between departments during snow and ice storms and other emergency situations.
- Deputy Pike- In October there were 173 calls, 81 reports written, 2 accident reports, 12 criminal reports, and 17 assists to the Village of Bethel.
The next regular meeting is scheduled for December 8, 2020 at 7:00 pm. Please call the departments or the trustees with any concerns.
Summary of the October 2020 regular meeting of the Tate Township trustees that was held October 13, 2020.
- Commissioner Painter was in attendance to answer questions and update the trustees on county issues. One resident voiced a concern about the new traffic island that was installed in front of the Grant Career Center on St Rt 125. Comm. Painter said the island and lane closure is State controlled and residents are welcome to call the State to voice their opinion Duke is looking to install a natural gas line running 15 miles from Bethel to Batavia. Residents in the path of the pipeline will be offered to hook-up to natural gas. Check the Duke website for information meeting dates.
- Deputy report- Deputy Pike made 64 calls in September, wrote 34 reports, and made 2 criminal arrests. Two juveniles are being held for breaking into Tate Township Maintenance barn.
- Zoning- In September,7 permits were issued for 3 single family dwellings, 3 garages and 1 gazebo.
- BTFD – BTFD Sep 2020 Update The parking lot project from grant money is starting but not progressing. Comm. Painter says he will look into it. Th e replacement fence around the fuel pump has been installed. There will not be a staff Christmas party this year due to COVID.
- Cemetery- In September there were 13 burials, 6 foundations sold, and 14 graves sold (2 out of township/12 township residents).
Summary of the September 2020 meeting of the Tate Township Trustees:
The Tate Township Trustees’ regular meeting was held on September 8, 2020, with all trustees present.
- Zoning reported 10 new permits issued.
- BTFD reported 147 calls in August, 39 fire, and 108 ambulance runs. The new tanker truck is nearing completion. The parking lot project, grant-funded, is expected to begin in mid-September. In other grant news, the new fire hoses will be ordered soon. Another round of COVID-19 reimbursement money will be coming to the department to be used towards the touch-free towel dispenser, A recent storm caused 2 large trees to damage the BTFD fence. Insurance will cover the replacement. Find a copy of Rick Stowell’s BTFD Sep 2020 Update here: BTFD August 2020 Update
- Cemetery report: 8 burials in August, 19 foundations ordered, 3 pre-paid open/closes, and 12 graves sold (1 was out-of-township). The East fork State Park has received a grant that they would like to use to replace fencing at the old church cemetery
- Next meeting, October 13, 2020.
- Approved August 10, 2020 meeting minutes HERE
Summary of the July 2020 meeting of the Tate Township Trustees:
The Tate Township Trustees’ regular meeting was held on July 14, 2020, with all trustees present.
- Cemetery reported 3 burials in June, 7 foundations ordered, and 1 out-of-township grave sold.
- Roads- The road crew has made good use out of the new Durapatcher machine. The township roads are getting potholes filled and cracks sealed which will help extend the time between pavings. Residents have been expressing their appreciation. They have cleared all the trees for the future retaining wall going in between the cemetery and the maintenance yard. 6 private culverts were installed. The Tate Township clean-up was held June 12 & 13, 2020 with residents dropping off 492 loads of junk. The clean-up report can be found here: Tate Township CleanUp 2020
- BTFD-They received the relief money from HB481 for COVID-19 expenses. They will purchase special CPR devices that help first responders avoid contact with patients. One will be placed in each ambulance. They are planning to purchase a UV light device that can disinfect buildings. There is a new leak in one of the roofs, the trustees approved the repair. There was an arson fire on S. Union St. in June. The June 2020 BTFD report can be accessed here: BTFD June 2020 Update
- Zoning- There were 5 permits issued. The business signage has been moved at Sugartree & Rt 125 so it is out of the right-of-way. The trustees agreed to start the process to file Nuisance paperwork on residents that have been repeatedly asked to clean up their yards, served with grievance notices, and are still refusing to follow the Zoning rules.
- Deputy Pike reported that all Clermont County deputies have been given more extensive training to be able to respond to mass gatherings and protests in the event they would get out of hand. The direct phone number to reach Deputy Eric Pike is 513-734-7088. This will ring his cell phone when he is on duty and will go to voice mail (leave a message) when he is busy or off-duty. He asks that you only call him for non-emergencies.
- Next meeting is August 11, 2020, at 7:00pm.
Summary of the June 26, 2020, Special meeting of the Tate Township Trustees:
The Tate Township trustees held a special meeting on June 26, 2020. The item of business was HB481. All trustees were present and unanimously accepted a resolution to accept HB481. This will allow Tate Township to receive funds from the State for extra expenses that are related to COVID-19. No other actions were taken.
Summary of the June 9, 2020 Regular meeting of the Tate Township Trustees:
The Tate Township Trustees’ regular meeting was held on June 9, 2020, with trustees Gary Reed, Greg Burns, and Bob Redden present.
- The BTFD news- The chief’s “old” vehicle was placed on the government sale site to sell and it did not receive the minimum bid. The trustees will have the lights replaced with amber lights and it will be used as a cemetery and road maintenance vehicle. This will save the township in fuel costs when a larger truck is not necessary. Rick has heard nothing yet from the engineers about the parking lot job, from a previously received grant. He is waiting on Senate Bill 30 to get funding dollars to buy special UV lighting that will be able to kill germs for the fire department and the ambulances. The new ISO classification for the township is the best it has ever been. Tate is now rated 33Y. This will lower the resident’s home insurance costs. The trustees had a discussion about how to get more fire hydrants into the township. The fire department building has re-opened. The BTFD Apr2020 Update & BTFD May2020 Update can be found on this page link.
- Cemetery news- In May there were 7 burials, 7 foundations sold, and 3 graves sold to township residents.
- Maintenance news- The Spring clean-up is this weekend. The Village of Bethel may be sending help. The trustees approved the purchase of a thermometer to read daily temperatures of maintenance employees. Currently, they are going to the fire department building to get their temperatures checked each morning before work.
- Next Tate Township meeting is scheduled for July 14, 2020 at 7:00pm.
Summary of the March 2020 meeting of the Tate Township Trustees:
The Tate Township Trustees’ regular meeting was held on March 10, 2020, with trustees Gary Reed and Bob Redden present. Greg Burns was absent.
- Jeannie Zurmehly spoke to the trustees to say that, even though she is running unopposed, she would appreciate their support and votes. Zurmehly is running for Clermont County Treasurer.
- A Drug Take-Back is scheduled for April 25 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm as a drive-through drop off. It will take place in the parking lot of the Bethel-Tate Fire Department. Anyone can drop off old or unused drugs of any kind including liquids. The drugs can be for animals or humans. If they need to be disposed of, please use this service to easily get rid of expired, unused, or dangerous prescription or non-prescription drugs.
- A representative from the Adams-Clermont Solid Waste Co. asked the trustees to support using the BT high school parking lot as a site for a public use recycle dumpster. They would provide it a no-cost and it would benefit the community as well as the high school building. Student groups have contacted the Adams-Clermont Solid Waste Facility asking for help with their recycling efforts. Currently, there are no provisions for collecting recycled products. Adams-Clermont will provide recycling containers in all the classrooms. The Village and Township deputies would work with Adams-Clermont Waste to prosecute individuals that dump illegally. The trustees said they would make the suggestion to the BT School Board at their next meeting.
- The BTFD made 151 runs in February 2020, 36 fire and 115 EMS. March BTFD update.
- The cemetery had 5 burials in February, sold 4 foundations, and 1 grave. They set 2 culverts for residents. They used 21.5 tons of salt last month and have 222 tons left that will be kept in the new salt storage.
- The next meeting is currently scheduled for April 14, 2020, at 7:00pm.
Summary of the February 2020 meeting of the Tate Township Trustees:
The regular meeting of the Tate Township Trustees was held on February 11, 2020, with all three trustees present. Gary Reed ran the meeting.
- A representative from the energy company behind the solar panel farm came to the meeting to talk to the trustees and answer any questions. His main concern for the visit was to ask for the trustee’s support with a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes). Because the tax revenue of the 610 acres will be lost to future development, the energy company will guarantee $9000 per megawatt goes to the county to be dispersed back to the townships similar to real estate tax distribution. The advantage of the PILOT is it would benefit the schools and emergency services without putting an additional burden on them. For the entire news post.
- Zoning- 3 permits were issued in January. 1 is a new residence. George is working on generating a map of the Old Bethel Cemetery, located in East Fork State Park for future knowledge of the correct placement when the remaining plot/site owners need to be buried.
- Cemetery- 8 burials in January
- Roads- Trustees approved the contract for the architect to draw plans for a retaining wall between the maintenance building and the cemetery. Trustees approved the purchase and payment of a Duropatch machine to be shared 50/50 with Williamsburg Township in time and all costs.
- BTFD & EMS- The 2008 ambulance is still in the shop and will be back in service soon. The trustees approved a new vehicle for the chief to be ordered, 2020 Silverado 1500. The current vehicle will be sold on the gov.org auction site.
- The annual Tate Township clean-up dates are set for June 12th and 13th from 7:00am to 5:00pm each day. More details later.
Summary of the January 2020 meeting of the Tate Township Trustees:
The regular meeting of the Tate Township Trustees was held on January 14, 2020, two trustees were present. Gary Reed ran the meeting as the 2020 chairperson, Bob Redden was present as the new trustee, and Greg Burns was absent.
- At the organizational meeting, the trustees decided to try keeping the gates of the cemetery open, making it more accessible to residents wanting to visit or walk it. If there are problems in the cemetery because of this, they will go back to locking the gates at dusk.
- The Village of Bethel police department would like to thank the Township for the CPR and taser training. They also want residents to know that the Village has had complaints about coyote packs within the town limits.
- The rowing regatta is slated for the weekend of May 16th. One of Bethel-Tate’s high school students is organizing a community event with live bands in Burke Park and fireworks display. He is raising funds through public donations.
- Cemetery Report- There were 4 burials and 1 foundation order. Five graves were sold to Tate residents.
- Roads Report- They have been berming Wilson Road to help with pull-offs when 2 cars are approaching in opposite directions. They installed 8 private driveway culverts. Trustees approved getting an architect to plan a retaining wall needed between the cemetery and the maintenance building.
- The BTFD station now has emergency 911 phone boxes installed for residents that come to the station. The department cannot respond to a walk-up request for help. Time is wasted when residents bang on the doors of the station. All emergencies must be called-in to 911 to be dispatched. Chief Stowell is hoping that the 911 boxes will help residents that do not have access to phones in an emergency situation so that help can be dispatched quickly. The parking lot grant money has still not been released. They are ordering 4 sets of turnout fire gear to keep everything on the 10-year rotation. The 2020 department roster was approved by the trustees.
- All year-end reports from the departments are on the EOY report page.
Summary of the November 2019 meeting of the Tate Township Trustees:
At the November 12, 2019, regular meeting of the Tate Township Trustees, all trustees were present. Greg Burns ran the meeting
- The trustees approved the purchase of different liability coverage which will be cost savings and provide better coverage.
- The trustees congratulated Bob Redden for willing the election and look forward to working with him.
- The week of 1/26-2/1/2020 will be School Choice Week in Tate Township.
- Zoning Department – 4 permits were issued in October.
- Cemetery – In October, there were 12 burials, 10 new foundations sold, 18 foundations poured, and 5 graves were sold ( 3 in-township and 2 out-of-township).
- Roads – Replaced 3 culverts on township roads, and various ditching was performed. The 54″ culvert was installed on Wilson Road.
- Fire Department & EMS – Total calls for October was 170, (fire calls-38, EMS calls-138). The new phone system is installed and expected to be connected this week. Choice One Engineering has sent the specs for the parking lot to Clermont County to be put out for bid. The parking lot project is part of a previously awarded grant. The trustees approved hiring (4) personnel for part-time status.
Summary of the August 2019 meeting of the Tate Township Trustees:
In the August 13, 2019 regular meeting of the Tate Township Trustees, all trustees were present and Greg Burns ran the meeting.
- Zoning report for July- 4 building permits were issued. 2 violation letters were sent.
- BTFD report- Total of 157 runs for July with no fire loss. The new phone system cables have been installed in the fire department building. They will continue to install cables in the other two buildings of the township. Once they are finished with the installation, Cincinnati Bell will come out to hook up the new system. This will bring the phone system up to date from separated residential systems to one connected commercial system.
- Cemetery report- In July there were 3 funerals, 3 open/close grave pre-payments, 8 foundation orders, and 2 graves sold to out-of-township residents. The department took down 3 dead or fallen trees in the cemetery.
- Road report- Culvert and ditch work continues on Moore Road. In an estimated 3 weeks, they will finish and turn it over to the paving company. The road salt that was contracted for last year just arrived this week.
- The trustees discussed the aging old 1992 backhoe and agreed for the department to start looking into used equipment. The search may take some time as the used backhoes are far and few between.
- The trustees would like to remind everyone that there is a Tate Township police levy on the November ballot.
Summary of the May 2019 meeting of the Tate Township Trustees:
In the May 14, 2019 regular meeting of the Tate Township Trustees, all trustees were present and Greg Burns ran the meeting.
- Cemetery – In April there were 6 burials, 9 foundations ordered, and 4 grave plots (2 in-township & 2 out of-township) sold. People who walk their dogs in the cemetery are asked to please clean-up after their pets.
- Roads & Maintenance- The salt bin is finished with the tarp on the top. There are concerns that children are playing on top of the pile and could get injured. The trustees suggested that a sign be placed by the salt bin to say “Keep Off”. The road department will need to order about $2500 in culvert pipes to restock for this year.
- Township Officer- In April there were 71 calls, 33 reports written, 11 warrants served, and recovered $500 worth of stolen property. The call volume has been increasing and the property crimes and burglaries is not increasing.
- Fire Department & EMS- In April, there were 130 total runs (30 fire & 100 EMS). Response time is good. The parking lot grant is waiting on the environmental study which will be done in July. Bids will then go out and it may be next year before the work is started.
- The quarter auction held by the Ladies Auxiliary brought in $2727 profit which will be used to purchase a big sceen TV to replace the message board.
- Planning & Zoning- 5 permits were issued in April. They are working on a discrepancy in address numbers on township roads.
- Reminder that the 2019 Tate Township clean-up days are June 21st & 22nd.
Summary of the April 2019 meeting of the Tate Township Trustees:
The regular meeting of the trustees was held April 9, 2019. All trustees were in attendance. Greg Burns called the meeting to order at 7:00pm. Reports were given by each department.
- Visitor: Adam Byrd, current Superintendent of New Richmond schools introduced himself to the trustees and announced he would be running in 2020 for the 66th District for State Representative.
- The trustees opened the road bids for paving Moore Rd this summer. Bids were received from Brown County Construction, Filmore Construction, Roberts Paving, and Brown County Asphalt. Burns handed them over to the Roads Supervisor to compare and report back to the trustee on Monday April 15, 2019 at 3:00pm for a special meeting to determine which company to award it to.
- Zoning reported that he spends half of his time working on and attending mediation meetings for 2 properties in the township.
- Fire Chief reported 161 total calls were made in March, 43 were fire and 118 were EMS. The response time has improved by 1 minute. The complete March report is posted on the BTFD page. He has not heard anything about the parking lot grant yet. He is currently checking with all phone carriers tp give quotes for a new phone system to be used in all Tate Township buildings.
- Cemetery Sexton reported 10 burials, 2 Saturday burials, 6 foundation orders, and sold 11 graves of which 9 were in township and 2 are out of township.
- Roads- Moore Road will need 7 culverts replaced and quite a bit of ditching before re-paving. He will need to rent a jack hammer for $400 a week to break through the concrete covered culverts that have rusted out. The salt storage concrete pad is poured with the 2nd row of blocks just set and 20 more blocks will be added.
- Trustees discussed the solar farm that is going in on the Brown/Clermont line with some of the acreage in Tate. The county commissioners okayed the project without consulting the township officials. The concerns are about possible road damage to both county and township roads and not knowing the details of the project. There were also questions about whether there would be any revenue in taxes to the township since the land being used will no longer be able to be farmed or developed which would generate tax dollars.
Summary of the March meeting of the Tate Township Trustees:
The regular meeting of the trustees was held March 12,2019. Reports were given by each department.
- Zoning department reported 2 permits issued for a garage and a porch. Violation letters have been sent out. He is continuing efforts to work with mediation on some homesteads.
- Deputy reported a slow month. He was able to get to the transportation department of Bethel-Tate to talk with drivers of school buses about safety to kids. Pike had 53 calls, wrote 17 reports, issued 11 warnings, and assisted Bethel Village 12 times. He will schedule the workers for the Tate Township clean-up to help the Township employees.
- Cemetery department reported they had 9 funerals, sold 3 foundations and 3 graves. They will be taking the old Christmas decor off graves before Easter and the mowing season begins.
- Roads & Maintenance department reported they have poured the pad for the salt storage. They will put out for bids on re-paving 1.3 miles of Moore Road and 5 culverts will need replaced.
- Fire & EMS department reported they had 145 calls total, 28 were fire and 117 were EMS. They responded to 6 mutual aid calls. They need to replace the lanterns on fire truck with LED for $625. The Ladies Auxiliary will hold its annual quarter auction the 3rd weekend in April to raise money to replace the old rotating red lights with new LEDs. A big thank you to the Ladies for making food for the recent Tolin funeral. The BTFD will be starting its annual flushing soon.
Summary of the February 2019 meeting of the Tate Township Trustees:
The regular meeting of the trustees was held Feb, 12, 2019. Greg Burns, Chairperson, ran the meeting. Both trustees Howard Daugherty and Gary Reed were in attendance.
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- Visitor; John McGraw, Trustee from Union Township was in attendance to visit and say he will be running for a County position.
- Visitor: Resident remarked that the Tate Township road crew has been doing a great job this winter.
- Cemetery report- January had 9 burials, 2 foundations sold, and 6 foundations sold in Tate. The new mats purchased to protect the ground for machine access to grave sites have arrived. They are easy to walk on and there is less slippage. This year’s mowing service will remain the same as last year.
- Road report The Trisler Rd. upgrade is tentatively scheduled to start April 1. The grinding will be used for township road berms and future cemetery roads. The township clean-up dates will be a little later this year, probably in June. The trustees gave approval for a concrete slab and tarp shed to be built before 4/30 for road salt storage so they don’t lose the contracted lower price.
- Fire & EMS report In January, there were 156 calls of which 36 were for fire. There was $250 fire loss. The grant for the parking lot/driveway is probably not going to be completed until next summer because of regulations that require an environmental study by the County. Recommended hiring of Cory Meyers for 1 year probation and he must pass the paramedic class within 1 year of hire. Recommended Tyler Buschard for a volunteer FF position. Recommend promoting Allison Zahn from probation to PT status. We have been without a chaplain for several years and now have a volunteer for that position. Trustees approved 1 more auto load system to be purchased called power-cot load system.
- Trustees adopted ORC 505.64 per State requirement.
- Next meeting March 12th @ 7:00 p.m.
Summary of the January 2019 meeting of the Tate Township Trustees:
Summary of the December 2018 meeting of the Tate Township Trustees:
- Public participation- A question was asked about the police levy failing in November. Will the trustees run the levy again in May? They answered that the May ballot is too expensive and so any future police levy would not be considered until the November 2019 election.
- Zoning- 4 permits were issued in November. George added that he continues to go to mediations and send notices to landowners that are not in compliance with the township ordinances.
- BT Fire Department and EMS- They had 147 calls in November and the BTFD is responding within 5 1/2 minutes. In old news, the old lights from the station have been sold on gov deals and they will contact the high bidder from the radio to see if they want the radio. They received news that Bethel-Tate was awarded the CCBG grant from the county for $99,752 with the Tate Township local match of $18,000, totaling $117,752 to pay for a new concrete parking lot at the station. As part of the requirements for the FEMA grant that was awarded, the Township will post a legal notice for 14 days to receive bids for 36 self-contained breathing apparatus. In new news, the BTFD wants to sell some used equipment that will be posted on govdeals. There are (2) 3″ portable pumps and a 220 portable air compressor that will be listed on the site.
- Cemetery- There were 7 burials in November, 2 foundations sold, 3 graves sold, and 1 grave site bought back at original purchase price. They borrowed plastic grate mats from another cemetery to try out as vehicle tracks when preparing the grave sites for funerals. The trustees approved buying 40 of the mats. Ed reported that funeral attendees should not be walking on them but they do. Recently a woman walked on the boards, slipped and fell but refused medical treatment.
- A special organizational meeting will be held 12/26/2018 at 8:00 am and the bids will be read for the FEMA grant so they can be purchased before the end of the year.
Summary of the October 2018 meeting of the Tate Township Trustees:
- Public participation- News from the Village of Bethel- On the November ballot, the repeal for municipal income tax will be voted on. A yes vote will be a vote to get rid of it. A no vote will be a vote to keep it. Liquor permits are also on the ballot in an effort to bring in bigger chain restaurants and stores. The township police levy has been put on the Village ballot in error. The trustees will call to try to get it off the Village precincts.
- Several residents attended to find out the status of a family living a parcel of land without sanitary conditions. The trustees are now going through the prosecutors office to try and get the situation resolved. Mediation has been ineffective.
- A resident brought in a copy of his insurance for the Fire Chief because of a letter he received. The Chief explained that he had been transported in a BT ambulance and was sent a “soft” bill. This is sent to try to recover some EMT service costs. If the resident does not have insurance there is no payment due. If the resident does have insurance, the amount paid by the insurance company will be accepted as full payment.
- Roads- Happy Hollow Road is set to be blacktopped in about 3 weeks.
- The fire department completed all the fire prevention classes for grades K-5 in Bethel-Tate schools. BTFD made a total of 160 runs in September 2018, 39 fire and 121 EMS.
Summary of the July 2018 meeting of the Tate Township Trustees that was held 07/10/18:
- The trustees voted to accept the 2019 budget.
- Mrs. Marx addressed the trustees about the cemetery rules regarding the decorating of graves. The concern is that there are people who want to have flowers on their loved ones’ graves but there are many monuments and markers that do not have vases or room on the stone for flowers to be placed. The trustees understand the concern and appreciate the information. Ed Stanley suggested they call and make an appointment to discuss options that might be available. If decorations are within the rules of the cemetery, they will not be taken off.
- Mr. Painter, the county commissioner, was present to address the trustees about the possible additional 1% hotel tax which would be spent on buying down the debt of the FC Soccer team’s professional sports complex in Clermont County. He assured the trustees that he would keep an open conversation going as soon as he knows more. He is worried that false rumors will start circulating and the county residents will not get all the right information to make a voting decision.
- Mr. Harvey asked Mr. Painter about the additional $5 license fee that was recently added. Mr. Painter said that the funds are earmarked specifically for road repair in all of Clermont County.
- A representative of an energy consultant firm addressed the trustees about putting the aggregation back on the ballot. The trustees said they are not interested in running it again because the residents voiced their opinion by voting it down in November 2017. They respect that decision.
- Officer Pike reported that he is getting complaints about cars parking on township roads that are already narrow. No Parking signs seem to have disappeared over the years. Chief Stowell said they could use Fire Lane signs to be sure the roads stay clear to through traffic and emergency vehicles. Mr. Stanley will check into it and mentioned they would probably cost about $50 each. Pike said he had to ask a group of people to leave the cemetery because they were playing a video “catch” game and walking all over the graves. No law was broken, however it was disrespectful. Officer Pike asked about his renewal contract. The trustees said they can only keep his services if the voters pass a officer levy in November. They voted to accept the contract with a possible cancellation if the levy fails.
- Zoning- George Eckert had 5 permits for room additions in June. He reported on a number of ongoing property neglect and trash situations as well as illegal residencies. In the past, he has tried to work through a mediator to get the situations resolved but that it a slow process and doesn’t always work.. He is now using the county agencies that have more authority and hopes this will encourage residents to follow zoning regulations to avoid penalties.
- Fire & EMS- Chief Stowell reported 242 total runs in June, 42 were fire and 162 were EMS.The June total for fire loss was $45,700. As a part of the Statewide Mutual Aide, the BTFD water truck was used in Portsmouth to help keep the hospital running and cooled while they had no water at all in their water mains. The 2 trucks that aided were pumping 83,000 gallons a day. He noted that, in an emergency here, we had Felicity’s water truck as a back up. Still waiting on final news for 3 grants that were applied for.
- Cemetery- Ed Stanley reported 4 funerals in June and 2 foundations ordered. They have been replacing driveway and road culverts as well as continuing work on Happy Hollow Rd. He needs to order winter road salt by July 13th and the program now requires each entity to buy at least 80% of what they pre-order. He asked the trustees to consider building a salt barn.
Summary of the June 2018 meeting of the Tate Township Trustees that was held 06/12/18:
- Some residents were in attendance to ask questions about the ditching and resurfacing of Happy Hollow Road. They would like it wider while the work is being done. Trustee Burns explained that the width of the road and the ditch area is limited by what was originally determined in the early days of the township. The township only has control of the easement and the road.
- Officer Pike made 55 calls in the month of May, gave 16 warnings, had 2 criminal arrests, and 26 investigations.
- The Assistant Chief gave the May Fire and EMS report- They had 147 EMS runs and 75 fire runs. The 2008 ambulance is now back in service. They have been awarded the grant for the BTFD parking lot and have been granted 2 additional radios valued at $7000 which are in Columbus getting programmed.
- In cemetery news, Ed Stanley reported there were 8 funerals in May and 8 new foundation orders. They poured 27 foundations and sold 3 graves to in-township residents.
- In road news, there are now 2 roads with metal plates on them waiting for the maintenance crew to be able to have good weather and the time to repair them.
- The Trustees passed a resolution to get millage information in order to put a levy for deputy protection on the ballot in November.
- Trustee Daugherty made a proclamation that Tate be a purple heart township. He asked that the township purchase and place 4 signs at the main entrances to the township.
Summary of the May meeting of the Tate Township Trustees that was held 05/08/18:
- Comments and questions for the trustees: Residents were in attendance to thank the trustees for continuing to offer the clean-up days. A member of the village council asked the trustees to consider forming a transparency board composed of officials from the township, village, and schools to bring ideas together.
- Deputy Pike – Thank you to the trustees for getting curbside recycling for the residents. Cameras are going to be installed at the recycle bins up at the grocery parking lot to help prevent the unwanted items being dumped there. The trustees thanked Pike for getting the extra help for clean-up days. Pike said that checking IDs to be sure they are residents helped too. They did turn about 20 non-residents away. During the month of April, he had 67 calls, 21 reports, 4 traffic stops, 28 investigations and recovered $500 of stolen property.
- Zoning – George Eckert reported there were permits for 2 room additions, 2 porches, 2 garages, 1 in-ground pool and 1 deck issued last month. He has been working with several homes to get them to clean up yards and get rid of non-licensed vehicles.
- Roads – Ed Stanley reported that Happy Hollow Road will be paved once they finish the culverts and prep work by Brown County Asphalt. The old road signs that were replaced weighed over 2000 pounds and brought in $830 from recycling them. The heavy and continuous rains we are having is undermining the old culvert pipes quicker than the road crews are able to get to them to be replaced. They are having to put steel plates over some pipes that gravel doesn’t fix.
- Cemetery – They are waiting on the weather to put in foundations for 24 markers and stones. The mowers have cut every Monday 3 times now and they are doing great. Last month there were 10 funerals, 2 foundation orders, and 2 graves sold to residents.
- Fire Department & EMS – Rick Stowell reported there were 159 total calls of which 39 were fire and 120 were EMS. They had 1 fatal fire and 1 firefighter injury. The 2008 ambulance is in the alignment shop. He has located a security system with 6 cameras to be used at the fire ststion. The BTMS will be conducting a mock disaster at the Bethel Woods complex which is similar to a fire drill for the residents. The Ladies Auxiliairy brought in $2900 from the quarter auction
Summary of the April meeting of the Tate Township Trustees that was held 04/10/18.
- Comments and questions for the trustees: Neighbors are complaining about trailers on Donald road that have been there awhile. The trustees acknowledged their issue and assured them that Zoning has been working on it for 2 years. George Eckert explained the steps and mediation he has been through with this property. This is a process that has to go through the court system which also takes a lot of time.
- Tom Bixler came to the meeting to explain who he is and why he is running for county commissioner in May.
- Deputy Pike said he has a work task force lined up to help with the Tate Township clean-up this Friday and Saturday. He will be checking IDs to be sure they are in the township.
- Chief Stowell reported the Bethel-Tate Fire Department & EMS responded to 166 emergencies in March, 38 fire & 128 ambulance runs. Average time to leave the station was 1 1/2 minutes and they averaged 5 1/2 minutes to be on the scene. The complete BTFD Mar 2018 Update is on the BTFD page. They are still waiting on word for breathing pads grant application but they have heard that the pumper tank grant has been denied. The ladder truck is in Columbus getting the cylinders fixed. The trustees approved a motion to purchase the extended warranty on the heart monitors that communicate when they are in route with/to the hospitals.
- Please go to the middle school on Thursday, April 19, 2018 to support the Ladies Auxiliary Quarter Auction. All the money is used to help purchase needed items for the fire department.
- Ed Stanley- reported 7 funerals in March and 3 foundation orders. Once it gets dry enough to get heavy equipment out, they will be able to form the foundations and place the 18 stones on graves. Meanwhile, the crew has been replacing road signs on the township roads with over 400 poles and signs so far. These were purchased through a State grant at no cost to the residents. We have received word that the Trisler Road culvert and pavement replacement grant has been awarded. Tate Township’s matching portion will be $24,000. The focus of the road repair work this summer will be on Happy Hollow Road. The trustees opened the 3 bids and will compare their specifics and announce who the job is awarded to soon. Once the road department is finished with the ditching and repairing, the paving company will repave Happy Hollow Road.
Summary of the March meeting of the Tate Township Trustees that was held 03/13/18.
- Zoning Report- The house on Donald Road is dismissed and it’s now in foreclosure. There is a new complaint on Sugartree Road that is being investigated.
- Sheriff Report- There were 52 calls in the month of February with 2 arrests. Nothing out of the ordinary was reported,
- Fire Department & EMS Report- There were 139 calls in February, 30 fire and 109 were EMS. The 2005 ambulance was sold for $7300 on the government auction site to a traveling doctor. The 2008 ambulance is getting repaired from the accident in Williamsburg at their insurance expense. The safety meeting at the BT high school went well with about 20 people in attendance and all questions answered about safety in a tornado, mass shootings, and other disaster situations. In new business, there is a concern about the number of people wasting precious response time by physically going to the BTFD building to report emergencies. In 2017 there wer 37 times when citizens reported emergencies at the fire department. The Chief has requested that a 911 box be installed outside the building.
- Cemetery Report- In February there were 7 funerals, 7 graves were sold (6 in township & 1 out of township), and 5 graves were bought back.
- Roads Report- The focus has been on fixing Happy Hollow Road which has fallen apart this past winter. There will need to be a lot of ditching work, 5 more road culverts replaced as well as 12 to 13 driveway pipes replaced before the road will be ready for a much-needed repaving.
- The Tate Township cleanup dates were discussed and the earliest possible dates were picked from weekends listed as available from Rumpke. April 13th & April 14th will be the cleanup dates from 7:00am to 5:00pm each day. The trustees will make sure that someone will be there to check IDs for proof of Tate residency. A bulletin will be posted in all businesses in Bethel.
Summary of the February meeting of the Tate Township Trustees that was held 2/10/2018.,
- A representative from Rumpke would still like to offer the unified pricing plan to the township residents, which was presented at the last meeting. The trustees would not need to take action because there is no contract. Regardless of the trustee’s decision, any resident that uses Rumpke now and is over age 65 can contact Rumpke to receive a $2 discount on their bill each month.
- Former trustee Frank Wilson was in attendance and wanted to say that all the employees of the township are doing a great job. Also in attendance, newly elected school board member Bill Shula expressed his sincere thanks to the BTFD, EMS, and Bethel Police for reacting so quickly when he had an emergency and calling the UC air care, which he credits for saving his life. We are lucky to have skilled and quick thinking employees that can handle life or death situations so well.
- Zoning- George Eckert had 4 new permits in January. He had no new news to report.
- Cemetery- Ed Stanley reported 10 funerals in January and 7 (in township) graves were sold.
- Roads- The road crews salted the township roads 6 times in January and used 88 tons of salt. All the signs and hardware have now been received. They now begin the long process of replacing all the township road signs.
- Fire dept & EMS- Rick Stowell reported 170 calls in January of which 37 were fire and 133 were EMS. There was only $750 of reported fire damage. The average time for anyone in the department to be out the door to a response is 1 minute and they are on the scene in 4.75 minutes. They have submitted 1 grant for a new parking lot around the BTFD. They have also submitted a grant request for new firefighter breathing equipment and pumper tanker. The new ambulance should be in service by Friday.
- Sheriff’s report- In January there was 1 breaking and entering, 2 burglaries, 1 criminal damage, 4 assaults, 3 domestic violence, and 7 reports of theft in Tate Township.
Summary of the January meeting of the Tate Township Trustees that was held 1/9/2018.
Rick, a representative of Rumpke, offered a recycle & trash removal plan to the trustees for Tate Township. This would add a recycle curbside pickup to all township residents outside the Village of Bethel and include 1 large pickup a month per house at no additional charge. There would be a $2 per month discount for senior citizens. Recycle bins or carts would be provided to each resident that uses Rumpke. If the residents would be interested in adding curbside recycling and the trustees give the okay, the monthly charge would be $19.25 and could be started within one month.
Officer Pike reported that the Next Door App is being used by some Tate residents. Anyone can go to NextDoor.com and sign up or get more information. The FOP (fraternal Order of Police) will be calling residents for their annual fundraising.
Road & Maintenance- Ed Stanley gave the year-end report for the maintenance department. He reported that all the hardware and posts have been delivered from the State grant and they are waiting on the signs. They will be stored in the Maintenance buildings until they are able to start the replacement process.
Cemetery News- The Trustees approved the rules for the new cremation area of the cemetery. The cost will be different because the plot sizes are smaller. Only flush mount headstones within the size of 12″ x 24″ will be permitted. No above ground height monuments will be allowed. Ed has received a bid for the 2018 year cemetery mowing.
Fire & EMS- Rick Stowell gave December and Year-end reports. They will be placing the 2005 ambulance online for auction in February. The new ambulance is here and waiting on latching to be installed before it is put into service probably in March. New: The fire department meets the requirements for a grant to replace the parking lot around the BTFD building. The trustees gave approval for them to apply for the grant. The department now has 11 out of 12 full timers certified in the ICE rescue training.
The December meeting of the Tate Township Trustees was held 12/11/17. Here is a summary of the meeting events. The approved minutes are posted to the Meeting minutes page.
Special Re-organizational meeting 5:00 pm: The trustees and department chairs met in executive session to discuss personnel. In the open meeting, the trustees accepted all resolutions for pay and zoning fee changes. An amendment was made to appoint John Wilson to the zoning appeals board. A motion was made to appoint Diane Eckert to close the cemetery gates at dusk & open and close them on weekends.
December Regular meeting 7:00 pm:
- A representative for the garbage collection/waste bids came to talk to the township. They have rejected all bids because of the terms and will ask for new bids with clarification and change the contract request to 3 or less. They expect bids back in February. The next step is to hear the bids from the other companies (Solid Waste & Republic) in February or March.
- Zoning- George Eckert reports there were 4 new home permits and 1 garage permit. The house on Brown Street went up for sheriffs auction on 12/17/17. On Donald Road, the camper in front of the mobile home is up for sale and they say the side yard camper is not being used to live in.. On Jones Florer Road, the garage burned and the owners are cleaning it up. He is working to get a yard cleaned up on Swings Corner Road. New news: A house on St Rt 133 that he has posted notes on the home and sent letters. The owner said they are trying to find a contractor and lawn care service to fix the issue.
- Cemetery & Roads- Ed Stanley reports there were 8 funerals in November, 10 graves sold with 4 to township residents and 6 to out of township residents. Stanley asked trustees to consider banning a dome vault int the Township cemetery. Reed said he needed more time before making a decision.
- The cemetery would like to have one area dedicated to cremation burials. The plots are sized smaller and flat stones would be required. They would sell for $200 each
- The 550 dump truck is working well. The crew needs a chain saw that will fit into the truck. The trustees approved the purchase of a Stihl saw with 2 extra chains and a bar cover.
- A laser transit is needed to do the ditch work and culverts to measure fall for water flow. The trustees approved the purchase of a new transit.
The November meeting of the Tate Township Trustees was held 11/14/17. Here is a summary of the meeting events. The minutes, when they are approved by the trustees, will be posted to the website after the December meeting.
- Congratulations to Gary Reed and Greg Burns on their re-election to the trustee positions.
- Zoning news- George Eckert reported that 7 permits were issued with 1 new construction, a deck, and 2 garages. He says that construction is starting to pick back up. The house on Brown Street has been condemned and the County needs another letter from the Township. The house on St Rt 125 & Sugartree Rd. is moving forward to demolition. The owner has called George and said she is the process of getting estimates to have it torn down, In new business, George has issued several violation letters to residents for unlicensed vehicles, old campers, and burnt out buildings.
- Officer Pike- The October crimes stats are a total of 57 calls which include 14 reports, 4 warrants, 23 investigations, and 3 criminal arrests. He has not been able to set up an information session on the neighborhood watch program and will set a date before the next meeting.
- BT Fire Department- Chief Rick Stowell reported that in October they had a total of 182 calls with 49 fire runs, $4000 in fire damage and no fatalities or fire fighter injuries. They had 133 emergency medical service runs. In the last few days the had a house fire in town while 2 runs were out at the same time. 1 ambulance crew had a pregnant woman and 1 ambulance crew had a man with breathing distress. Both runs were emergency situations. The policy is that no one goes to a fire alone and with only one employee at the station, that person could not report alone to the fire. It was very upsetting to the department that Channel 5 ran a biased, sensational report that used inaccurate information. The response time on the fire was under 6 minutes. Greg Burns commended the Chief on the good job that the fire department does. Their record of excellence speaks for itself. Rick said he received calls from the Batavia , Monroe, Williamsburg, Miami Township fire chiefs and others, all wanting him to know they support the BTFD and have only good things to say about the department. Officer Pike said he has worked with other fire departments in the county and this (BTFD) is the best Fire department in the county. Chief Stowell said “Our staff is 2nd to none. We have a mission to save lives 1st and save property 2nd.”
- In other BTFD News- The 2005 ambulance air-ride has been repaired. The new ambulance will be complete in 25 days. Rick asked the trustees to look over the emblems that are being considered for the vehicle. In new business, one part-time EMT was hired with a 1 year probation. Rick has applied for a grant to replace all the 2-way radios in the 17-year-old system. They are asking for 20 radios/800 megahertz. They are applying for a grant to improve the parking lot and concrete on the NE side of the fire department lot. Because of where the BTFD building is located this qualifies them for the grant.
- Cemetery, Roads, & Maintenance- Ed Stanley reported in October 9 funerals were held. They poured 8 yards of concrete for 7 new footers. 4 graves were sold ( 2 within the township and 2 outside the township. The crew started tearing down the house on Spring St. A new grant is in the works to widen some roads. This would not happen until 2019 if they won the grant. The Trisler Road widening is still being considered. On the sign replacement grant. There will be approximately 500 new signs that will need to be installed. They are just now starting to be delivered. The trustees made a motion to approve Ed’s request for 2 employees to attend the Ohio Township Association Conference for 2 days in Columbus at the end of January 2018.
- New business- The trustees approved a records retention schedule RC-2.
- The aggregation failed to pass in Tate Township which would only have benefited the residents of Tate. They plan on trying again next year in an effort to bring a savings to the residents.
The October meeting of the Tate Township Trustees was held 10/10/17. Here is the condensed version. The minutes, when they are approved, will be posted to the website after the November meeting.
- The Trustees would like to congratulate Bethel-Tate Tigers Football for their 7-0 record this season.
- Zoning report from George Eckert. He issued 3 permits in September. There are a couple of properties that he is working with the owners on to get torn down since the Trustees passed the resolutions to do so. They are moving forward and George will keep us updated on the progress.
- Officer Pike reported that the breaking and entering numbers are down since last month. In September, he responded to 73 calls, made 3 warrant arrests and recovered $450 in stolen property. He asked the trustees if they would like more information on Next Door, a website through the county that residents can use to report suspicious activities that they see and the sheriffs are able to respond and use that information. Currently, the Clermont County Sheriff’s department cannot interact with residents on other social media sites. If the Next Door website is something that Tate residents are interested in, he would have another deputy come to a meeting to explain the benefits of the program to Tate residents. Trustee Burns would like residents to contact any of the trustees to let them know if they are interested or not.
- The Cemetery and Road Maintenance report for September was given by Ed Stanley. They sold the F450 on gov.deals. He asked about the grant for Trisler Road and Trustee Reed said he does not expect that will happen because the road is in more than one county and the grant doesn’t allow for that. He has an agreement with the Bethel-Tate schools to sell them salt as needed when the Township crew is already at the Maintenance barn. If a Township employee has to make a special trip to get the salt loaded then there will be an additional fee to cover the employee’s salary. There was an inquiry about the lack of progress on tearing down the Spring Street house. Ed said that while the weather holds out, the maintenance crew is taking advantage of getting as much other work done as they can. They will resume work when the weather gets colder.
- In cemetery news, Ed reported there were 12 funerals. They sold 15 graves of which 11 were out of township residents. They poured 7 1/4 yards of concrete for the headstones and 10 footers for markers.
- The September report from the BT Fire Department was given by Rick Stowell. He reported 161 runs of which 38 were fire and 123 were EMS. Their average time in route to the call is 1 minute. The average time to be on the scene is 4 1/2 minutes. The Trustees motioned to accept Lindsey They are getting ready to sell the ambulance which still has a faulty air-ride.
- The Trustee passed a motion for a commitment letter with Park National Bank for up to $180,000 and a 5 year fixed interest (currently 3.058%). This is to be used for the life squad.
- The Trustees mentioned that the garbage contract is still in the works. The Aggregate meeting was last week. This is a good thing for the residents with no way for them to lose by voting FOR it on 11/7/17.
- The Trustees are looking for residents that are interested in serving on the Board of Zoning Appeals and the Zoning Commission. If you are a resident of Tate Township an are interested, please contact one of the trustees.
SEPTEMBER 2017 Summary
The September Tate Township meeting was held 9/12/17. Here is an overview of what happened. The actual minutes are officially approved at the next (October) meeting.
- The Zoning report is that 12 permits were issued in the last 2 months (July & August). George said he has been busy issuing violation letters for unlicensed vehicles sitting around houses and also for unkempt yards.
- Officer Pike reported that he made 62 calls in August and 8 warrant arrests. He brought printed out stats sheets for the trustees and said that he will continue to do so.
- Chief Stowell reported that the 2005 ambulance is out of service. The problem is related to the air ride. They have the new ambulance on order. In August, when Duke Energy had a planned power outage, the Bethel-Tate Fire Department had a power surge that destroyed the outside AC unit. Duke has denied the claim Rick made for them to pay and now it will go to insurance coverage.
- The CC Sheriff’s department, the Bethel Police, US Grant Career Center, and Bethel-Tate Schools are all working together to plan an active shooter drill. The planning committee is meeting next week.
- There were 9 funerals held in the cemetery in August. The trustees asked if there was room to store the shepherd’s hooks a little longer in case there are still residents that want to pick them up. Ed said that they may need that barn to store the new signs that are already ordered but not here yet. If he has to make room for the signs, the hooks and other ornaments will be sent to be recycled.
- The Road and Maintenance department reports that they sold the F-650 in an online auction and the F-450, which is a 2001 needs to be sold because the pump for the salt spreader is worn out and no longer reliable. It will be put up for auction on the same site.
They had the new F-550 get an undercoat to help protect it against the salt and make it last longer.
- The Bethel-Tate School District has asked to get their salt from the Township this winter. Ed will contact John Burns from the district to work out a plan.
- The trustees passed resolutions to have 2 houses condemned so that they can be torn down by the township. This is all part of the procedure with the County to be able to take them down.
JULY 2017 Summary
The Tate Township Trustee meeting was held 7/11/17. Here is an overview of what happened. The actual minutes are officially approved at the next (August) meeting.
- The next township meeting will be August 8th, 2017.
- A representative from Josh Mandel’s Ohio Auditor office was present to commend Kathy Brannock (Clerk/Fiscal Officer) and Trustees for partnering with the State and offer transparency to the public. Tate Township’s fiscal records are accessible on the Ohio State Checkbook website.
- With a 8/9/17 deadline to go on the ballot, the trustees decided to let the voters choose whether to allow them to form an aggregate in the effort to give township residents the option to lower energy costs. This will be on the November ballot. All residents will receive several mailings with details, information, and round table discussion dates. Expect your 1st mailing in early August.
- Tate Township is forming a cooperative agreement with Franklin Township to upgrade and pave Trisler Road with a OPWC grant application. They should know by November if the grant is approved. This would cut Tate’s costs from 29% to 6.1% of the total job cost, a savings of about $94,000.
- A waste franchise is forming with several area townships and some villages to reduce waste collection costs, add curb-side recycling, and offer additional services, if needed, for residents with handicaps. No costs or actual contracts were discussed.
- Sheriff Pike reported there has been an increase in breaking and entering in southern Clermont County since the beginning of the year. He would like the residents to know that the sheriffs are working to find, arrest, and convict the offenders. Since January, the sheriff’s department had enough evidence to get 4 search warrants issued. So far, 16 people have been arrested in connection with the break-ins in the area. If you have information that would help in their investigations, please call the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office.
- Chief Stowell reported 35 fire calls and 116 EMS calls in June. The trustees accepted 3 resignations and 1 part-time hire. The department has been servicing the fire hydrants and cutting back weeds around them.
- Cemetery news, Ed Stanley reports 10 funerals and 14 grave plots sold in June. There is a new owner on Swope Road that is now cutting the old cemetery located back on his property. It was deeded to the township in 1850. The trustees agreed to compensate the owner for one cutting every 2 weeks, if needed. The trustees gave an end date of 10/01/17 for residents to pick up shepherd hooks that have been removed from Tate Cemetery.
- Road & Maintenance news, the County road crews will be replacing culvert pipes soon on Ohio Rd, Grant Rd, and the township will have a dump truck there to collect the old black top to use for new roads in the cemetery. The State is replacing a culvert on St Rt 133 near Vic-Joy Rd. The International truck that was purchased from the Village is working out good. The old F650 will be sold online with a minimum bid of $28,000. Search for govdeals.com.