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Episode 36 — HB 186 & HB 335 plus an interview with Batavia Village Council Candidates

We start the episode off with a look at Ohio property-tax mechanics (mills, inside vs. outside, HB 920) and two House-passed bills now headed to the Senate: HB 186, aimed at offsetting school-floor hikes after inflationary reappraisals, and HB 335, which would peg inside-millage growth to inflation by trimming rates after reappraisal. One published estimate says the bills combined could save homeowners nearly $2B over five years.

Then, a roundtable with Lauri Zagar, Mike Gardner, and Randy Dorsey (Batavia Village Council candidates) on growth, CRAs, finances, transparency, and a pragmatic vision for downtown. Plus village-township relations and why they’re against dissolution (and not chasing city status). Quick audio note: single-mic setup; you may need to nudge the volume during the interview.

Highlights

• Millage quick-hit: why HB 920 drops effective rates on voted levies as values rise
• School 20-mill floor and how HB 186 proposes to blunt inflation-driven bumps
• HB 335 in plain terms: cap year-over-year inside-millage collections to inflation after reappraisal
• Where both bills stand: passed the House; now in Senate committee
• Council trio on growth: “yes” to planned growth; skepticism on blanket residential CRAs/annexations
• Downtown wish list: small businesses, services , CIC used strategically
• Transparency fixes: fuller agendas/minutes online, open comment channels, fewer “emergency” votes
• Finances: debt tied to development deals, equipment needs, and a comp-time policy sidebar
• Village/township relations: mend the partnership; co-host community events; fund shared services fairly
• Dissolution? No. City push? No. Keep the village, improve the process.

(00:00:21) Welcome, fall vibes, and show format shift

(00:01:24) Property tax primer recap and two House bills

(00:02:58) House Bill 186: School millage floor and inflation cap

(00:05:08) Clarifying the school tax credit mechanism

(00:05:24) House Bill 335: Inside millage growth tied to inflation

(00:07:27) Example: Reappraisal vs. inflation and collections

(00:08:41) Caveats, projected savings, and invitation for experts

(00:09:07) Value-for-value: Donations, credits, and how to support

(00:13:15) Subscribe, newsletter perks, and listener engagement

(00:17:17) Upcoming guests: Fire chief and CJFED levy preview

(00:18:19) Today’s guests: Batavia Village Council candidates

(00:20:36) Interview setup and candidate introductions

(00:21:35) Are they a ticket? Shared goals and village stakes

(00:23:18) Growth stance: Business focus, less on residential abatements

(00:25:01) Traffic, access, and planning concerns on Main Street

(00:27:07) Candidate backgrounds: County, education, policing

(00:29:10) What residents want: Grocer, small shops, historic core

(00:31:01) Revitalization hurdles: Buildings, CIC, and incentives

(00:33:03) Beyond growth: Communication and transparency gaps

(00:35:12) Village finances: Debt, salaries, and budgeting methods

(00:38:41) TIF/abatement mechanics and capital needs

(00:41:30) Meeting conduct: Responsiveness, minutes, and access

(00:46:14) Budgets, UAN system, and general fund optics

(00:47:15) Debt, growth pace, and risk if expansion slows

(00:49:25) Property tax repeal talk and fiscal preparedness

(00:50:18) Police comp time policy and scheduling practices

(00:54:07) Dissolution? City status? Candidates say no to both

(00:56:20) Village-township relations and CJFED funding fairness

(01:00:04) Concrete transparency steps: Agendas, docs, and forums

(01:03:18) Executive session use and public discussion balance

(01:05:06) Boards, vacancies, and boosting community participation

(01:10:06) Running for the community, not against opponents

(01:12:49) How this slate formed and why they stepped up

(01:14:38) K-9 program dispute as catalyst for change

(01:16:07) CRA changes without notice and ethical concerns

(01:21:04) Where abatements fit: Business focus; schools and fire made whole

(01:22:00) After abatement: Affordability, resale, and Main Street impact

(01:25:14) Downtown strategy: Mixed use and learning from peers

(01:26:31) County footprint on Main Street and practical limits

(01:26:48) What’s working: Street, police, and civic pride

(01:29:36) Closing pitches: Process, ethics, and teamwork vision

(01:39:03) Post-interview wrap and thanks

(01:40:03) Event rundown: Trick-or-treat, genealogy, retreat, craft show

(01:44:14) Final V4V reminder, newsletter perks, and sign-off

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[00:00:11] Unknown:

We've been living in it since so long.   All  

[00:00:21] Unknown:

Welcome to episode 36   of Let's Talk Claremont.   I am your host, Patrick.   Thank you very much for tuning in. I'm happy you're here. I'm happy you're listening.   I'm happy it's fall. I keep saying it. I know. I'm a sucker for fall, bigger sucker for winter.   But I'm getting really excited for Halloween.   I'm getting excited for that bear onesie. It's a I'm gonna be a bear, and Katie got me a   a bear onesie. It's pretty cozy. Like I said last episode, I don't normally   promote onesies,   but   it's Halloween. I'll make an exception for it. So   alright. We have been drawn in new people because of these election interviews.  

So if you are new, this is another kind of,   I guess, you'd say abnormal episode. Normally, we'd start with news, go into the interview, and then round it out with events around the county.   But since we are on accelerated posting schedule,   and I don't know if there's been a lot of news between today and yesterday,   We're gonna do something a little different.   And we have been going back and looking at state legislation that we were talking about, see where it is, and refresh our memories.   But,   I've run out of it. I've officially run out of state legislation, at least interesting state legislation to talk about or relevant state legislation to talk about.   So we're gonna talk about some legislation that we have not talked about,   and they both deal with property taxes.  

And if you have the time, I would go back and list if you haven't,   listen to yesterday's episode, at least the intro,   because we go   over   property taxes and millage and inside millage, outside millage, and and we'll do refreshers on it as we go through these two bills.   I thought it was a good primer. Yesterday's in, intro on   kinda how we calculate property tax and and what all these terms mean.   I'll give you some some, you know we'll get our bearings in this. I'm not gonna just start talking a bunch of jargon.   But   if you feel like it, go back, listen to that intro. I think it's a good primer on   millage and property taxes and stuff like that. So   but the two bills we're going to be talking about, both have passed the house.  

It is house bill one eighty six and house bill three thirty   five.   Like I said, they both recently passed the house, so that means they'll go to the senate. They are not yet laws. But if they pass the senate, they go to the governor. If he signs it into law, it'll be law. If not, they'll if he vetoes it,   kick it back to the legislature and round and round we go.   Okay. We're gonna start with house bill one eighty six. So this creates a new mechanism   to cap school district tax increases due to inflation   when the millage floor would otherwise   push taxes higher after a reappraisal.  

So that is   kind of confusing, I think. So let's look at this a little closer. If you remember from yesterday's episode,   schools have a 20 mil   or a 2%   tax floor or minimum   for their operations,   and 2% on the taxable value of your property. So that's a minimum.   Across Ohio,   all schools have a 20 mil or a 2%   tax floor,   on the taxable value of your property for their current operations. That's what that's used for.   So your voted tax rate on levies, this is also outside millage,   normally gets reduced as your property value increases,   which keeps the revenue from the levy consistent.  

This means that as time goes on and your property value increases,   your effective tax rate for most outside millage   will decrease. The revenue   stays the same, but your effective tax rate decreases.   This is a little different with schools, however.   Because they have a minimum tax rate,   every year the tax commissioner will adjust the reduction factors   to make   sure that both nonvoted taxes, that's gonna be inside millage, and voted on taxes, that's gonna be outside millage,   equals 20 mills or   2% of the taxable value of your property.   Importantly, though, that does not come down. So if your home was appraised at a higher value because of inflation   and they previously adjusted the taxes higher to reach the 20 floor, They don't reduce your taxes because that would push the tax rate below the floor. But you're effectively   paying more money to the schools because your property value increased in value.  

So this bill is gonna create a mechanism, and I believe it's a tax credit   to help stop that.   And I'm gonna say this after both of these, but I'm not an expert in this. I'm I'm doing my best to explain this, and they're all they're both   kind of complicated. So if you are or you know someone who are or I'm getting this completely wrong,   feel free to write in and tell me what I've gotten wrong. So   alright. With that, we'll move on to house bill three thirty five. This one is also a little complex. So, again, I'm gonna do the best I can to explain this.   We talked a little bit about it,   with the previous bill, and we talked a little bit about it in the last episode,   but inside millage.  

So that is the amount of tax, taxing authority can levy   without a vote. And it's kind of like a combined there's you're in a lot of tax districts, so you pay that and then it kinda gets divvied up to the different tax districts that you're in.   That number is 10 mills or 1% of the taxable value of your property.   That is what you are taxed without any kind of vote. That's just what you're taxed.   It's also not subject to h b nine twenty millage reductions.   And, again, we talked about it earlier, but that's the legislation that keeps   voted on levies outside millage at a consistent revenue and decreases the effective millage or tax rate   as property values increase.  

Now inside millage is not subject to the millage reductions put in place by house bill nine twenty.   So as property values increase,   revenue from inside millage or tax increases,   will increase. I'm sorry. That's not let me say that again.   As property values increase,   revenue from inside millage will increase with it.   So if property values are increasing dramatically,   that means you'll be paying a lot more in inside millage. The inside the rate stays the same, but because your property has increased in value,   you will be paying more money in taxes.  

So what house bill three thirty five does is when the county   rechecks property values,   it tells the county's budget board to turn down the inside millage rates so that the total money collected from inside millage can only grow with inflation.   If property values jump faster than inflation,   the inside millage rate is trimmed   to keep collection to that inflation limit. So here is an example of how that would work.   Let's say you live in a community   that collected a total   of $1,000,000   from inside millage last year.   Then this year, they reappraise all the property values,   and all the values are up by 10%,   but inflation is only 3%.  

Now before   house bill three thirty five,   inside millage would stay the same, and collection raises to $1,100,000.   If house bill three thirty five passes, however,   the budget board would lower the rate so collections   would come in around $1,030,000   so it is in line with inflation.   Again, it's   that's a very simplified version of what it does.   And   like I said yesterday and today,   I'm not an expert in any of this. So if I got something wrong, feel free to write in and tell me what I got wrong. If you or somebody you know is an expert in this,   write in. I'd love to talk to them. We I think we'd all like to hear more about I I think. I don't know. It could be kinda dry, but I think it's important to know about this kind of stuff.  

I also found an article, and it says both of these bills are projected to save homeowners   2,000,000,000   over the next five years,   which sounds good to me. But, again, I'm not an expert.   I I did I'm going to link that article in the newsletter so you can read that and, obviously, make your own assessment.   Okay.   Moving on from millage and taxes and all of that stuff.   We do not have any producers to thank today, unfortunately, for donations.   Hopefully, we'll have some more donations coming in, and we can thank everybody for for donating to the show. And if you are new, you might be wondering what this is about,   and why we're asking for donations from producers.  

And that is because we are a value for value podcast.   I decided to set it up like this because I don't wanna have to be, you know, accountable to advertisers   or investors. I wanna be accountable to the listeners.   So what value for value is is if you find value in the show, just ask for a little value in return.   And it doesn't have to be money. It can be time, talent, or treasure.   So for time and talent, just let me know what's going on in your community.   Let me know who you'd like us to talk to.   You know, I wanna talk about the things that are going on in your community, and I want to talk to the people that you wanna hear from. I can't be everywhere across the county, so it really does help if people write in and and talk about, you know, their village or their township or, you know, what the hot topics are, and so we can focus on that and find people to talk to about that.   Also, if you are interested in sending in a high school sports rundown, get in touch. I think that'd be a fun segment to, you know, hear what these high school sports teams are doing. I like to hear about that. I still have the time to do   it. So if that's something you're interested in, like I said, get in touch, and we will figure out a way to make that happen.  

For treasure, go to the website, www.let's   talk claremont.com.   There is a donations tab. You can click that, and you can donate via PayPal or Stripe. That's the easiest way to do it. If you wanna do it a different way, just get in touch. We'll, you know, we'll figure out how to make that happen, obviously.   Importantly, with PayPal, you can do reoccurring donations like a subscription donation.   So if the show's worth a buck a month, $5, hey, maybe $20 a month, that'd be great.   Then that'd be wonderful, actually.   You know, that'd be that'll really help. That'll really help sustain the show, and it'll help,   it'll help keep allowing me to do this because this does take a lot of time, especially during election year. And I imagine next year is gonna be even busier. So these donations really help, and they're going to help keep the show going. So if you can,   please donate, and any dollar amount is greatly appreciated. That's why we call it value for value. Whatever value you place on this podcast,   that's all we ask for in return.  

However, we do have some special benchmarks.   If you donate $50 and above, you'll get a special show mentioned. And if you donate $200 and above, you'll get an executive producer credit that I'll vouch for so you can put that anywhere you want. And I'll read a note on air that you write, and the note can be anything.   I've, you know, I've said ad reads. I've said, you know, what's going on in your life,   an event. I don't know. Anything.   Within reason, I'm gonna keep making that caveat because I'm not gonna   I'm not gonna read some kind of crazy hate filled note and, you know, talking bad about people. That's not what we're gonna do here. But   within reason, I'll read it.  

And a quick note on the notes.   If you do donate over $50,   please please please email info@let'stalkclaremont.com   with your name   and your donation amount amount.   I need that so I can match everything up on the back end.   If you don't do that, not gonna know who you are, and I won't be able to mention you on the show. So very important if you decide to donate above $50.   And please connect with us on Facebook, Let's Talk Claremont podcast. It's a great way to keep up to date with what we're doing. We're on Instagram at Let's Talk Claremont.   Got a newsletter. We're gonna tomorrow,   Katie's spiked   hot cider recipe comes out in the newsletter, so there's gonna be some fun things. Once I have a little bit of time to regroup and kind of election season settles down, we're gonna find some fun things with that newsletter that you're not gonna get in the show. And we only send one, one email a week on Thursdays when a new show normally comes out. So another great way to keep in touch with us and stay up to date with what's going on at Let's Talk Claremont.  

And, of course, please follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts,   or whatever you happen to use for podcast.   It really helps the show out, but it helps you out because you'll be notified   anytime a new show comes out.   And if you just wanna say hi or whatever, info at let's talk clairemont dot com, I'd love to hear from you. I love getting emails.   And, you know, we're really focusing on listener engagement. And the more,   the more you engage with the show, the better the show's gonna be. So even if you're not donating or giving me tips or whatever, you just wanna say hi and tell me what I'm doing well, what I'm doing wrong, feel free. Info@let'stalkclairmont.com.   Love to hear from you.  

Alright. We're gonna hit it again. We're on an accelerated posting schedule.   Well, you're gonna get that full news rundown tomorrow. You're gonna get a refresh of events on Thursday. Still have them today, but a refresh on Thursday. And the newsletter is going to go out on Thursday, and all the episodes from the week will be there. So please sign up for that newsletter.   And before we get into who we're gonna talk with tomorrow and who we're talking with today, I wanted to give a real quick shout out to the Clermont County Genealogical   Society.  

We interviewed Paige Craig, who's the president of the Genealogical   Society.   I really thought it was a good interview. And if you're into genealogy or history in general, I'd suggest giving that a listen.   But I wanted to give them a shout out because they have an event on November 1. Now we talked more about this in the event section, so stick around if you wanna know more about that.   But since we talked with her, I'd like to bring it up before the events because I don't know how many people actually stick around for that. I don't I can't   see that.  

But, you know, these are long episodes. So if you don't stick around for those, I just wanted to bubble that up.   And you can go to the website or, like I said, stick around for the events to hear more about that.   And you can go back and listen to that past episode. And I thought I'd plug some more of our past history episodes since we have new people here.   There was an episode. We talked with Greg Roberts. He's a Ulysses s Grant historian.   We talk all about Grant. A lot of stuff I didn't know about Grant.   And after election season, I think we'll have him on again,   or somebody else that knows about Grant. We'll do more history stuff, things like that. We also talked to Gary Nepp. He's a local historian.  

And we talked about World War one and Korean War vets from Clermont County.   He actually read a letter from a gentleman that was in World War one from Clermont County that he wrote back to his mother, which was I thought was fascinating.   So and, you know, those guys don't really whenever I interview somebody that's got a decent Facebook presence, you know, they share it on their Facebook, and it typically is able to get out into the world pretty easily.   I don't think either of those guys have Facebook pages.   So it's a little   difficult to get those out into the world outside of and their earlier episodes, so I didn't have as many people listening.  

But if you like history, those are two really good podcasts,   and I would suggest listening to them. And in general, if you're new,   go back and listen to some of the old episodes. We've interviewed a lot of really interesting people. We're gonna continue interviewing interesting people after the election.   So, you know, if you're here for all the election stuff, that's great. I'm happy you're here. But, you know, stick around   because, we're gonna keep doing what we've been doing, and I think it's gonna be really fun. And we're gonna talk it to elected officials,   more,   just to hear what they're doing and what's going on. But we're also gonna be talking to some really interesting people. So,   I really hope you stick around for that if you are new and you've come here because of the election stuff. And I'll just give a brief note. Some of the old episodes, the audio quality is   I don't wanna say bad, but it's not as good as it is today. And that's just because I'm continuously learning how to do this and continuously making it better. So some of the old episodes might be a little rougher when it comes to audio than they are today. I think they're all listenable,   but   I guess, you know, just a little warning   there. Okay. With all of that out of the way, let's talk about who we're talking to tomorrow.  

We're gonna be sitting down with chief Roy Short from CJ Fed,   which is the Claremont Joint Fire and Emergency District.   And we talk about the district and its history a bit. We get in some fire safety tips,   and we touch on the cost and lead time for fire and EMS vehicles, which if you don't know,   has substantially   increased in the last few years. And I think there's a couple reasons for that. And tomorrow, maybe I'll try to clip   some audio from this video that I was sent about   one of the things that is driving this increase.   We talk a little bit about that, but the main topic   is the CJ Fed Levy that is on the ballot. And he talks about why they need the funds and what happens if the levy fails.  

And much like all the people we've talked to about levies,   I enjoyed talking with him.   He's a really nice guy, and I think he did a very good job of explaining, you know, why they need it and what will happen if it fails.   So   tune in tomorrow for that. But today,   we are talking to Lori Zagar, Mike Gardner, and Randy Dorsey.   All of them are running for Batavia Village Council, and it's not necessarily   a a ticket,   but   they're all kind of running together because they all have similar views and similar concerns,   and they kinda wanna accomplish very similar things.  

There was also a fourth member that was not able to make it. His name is Tom Smith,   and he is a teacher, and he had parent teacher conferences.   So he was unable to make it, but he is absolutely with this group.   And I imagine if we talk to Tom, he would say a lot of the similar things to to what the other three say.   And   as you might suspect, we talk about development. We talk about CRAs.   We talk about transparency and local government. We also talk about their vision for the village, the things they'd like to change,   all kinds of stuff like that. And, you know, if you've been paying attention and if you've been keeping up   with the kinda, you know, Batavia Village, Batavia Township tensions,   you probably know what we're gonna be talking about ahead of time.  

I still think it it was a great conversation. I really enjoyed. And as another quick note, this is the first time I've interviewed three people   together.   I only have one mic. I'd like to get more than one mic, which we could do if we have more donations. Hint. Hint. Wink. Wink.   But   I did the best I could to get the mic so we could get all their voices. I haven't   audio engineered it, I guess, you'd say yet. So I haven't listened to see how   quiet the levels actually are. If they are, I apologize, but I did the best I could. So you might have to turn up the interview just a bit to be able to hear what they're saying. And if that is the case, I do apologize.   But like I said, you know, more donations come in. Maybe we can get an upgrade to some of this equipment. You know? I'm just saying. Just saying.  

But I enjoyed talking to all of them, and we are going to wish all of them the best of luck come November.   And,   yeah, that's it. I hope you enjoy the interview.   Okay.   Well, the   very first podcast with three people.   Alright, so   I'm not really sure how to start this since there's three of you. I guess we can just go around the horn, and if you just don't mind saying who you are and what you are doing.   Yeah. Yeah. Like, what you know, who are you? No. Not not like literally what we're doing right now. This is ring I'm Randy Dorsey, and, I'm running for,  

[00:21:01] Unknown:

village council.  

[00:21:03] Unknown:

Laurie Zagar, and I am also running for village council of, for Batavia.  

[00:21:09] Unknown:

My name is Michael Gardner, and I am also running for village council   in Batavia.  

[00:21:15] Unknown:

Alright. So we've got and there's a fourth member that's not here. Do you mind just saying his name so? Because they're all on the signs together. Tom Smith. Tom Smith. Okay.   So   I guess my very first question is,   I think people have all seen the signs in the four box. So are you guys running as a ticket, or do you just have kind of similar interests? Or what what's the,  

[00:21:35] Unknown:

I guess, organization here? I I think at least I I don't wanna speak to the whole group, but I I know, initially, we were just   you know, there's four seats open, and, we we feel like this is a a pivotal moment for the village. Mommy. And,  

[00:21:50] Unknown:

we've got some kids. So And,  

[00:21:53] Unknown:

we feel like, you know, like, with the potential of the village being maybe dissolved in in the next year where at least people are maybe trying to get that on the ballot,   that this is the most important   election for the village of Batavia probably   in a long, long time. And,   you know, I think we all felt like that. We all see value in the village, and we wanna keep it a village.   We'd like to save the village, and I I think   we we wanna make sure that we are listening to our constituents. We feel like that's probably been one of the things that hasn't happened.   But we see eye to eye on a lot of the big things. I know there's some things that we may not agree on, but I think that builds character and helps make sure that,   you know, we're making the best decisions possible for the village. So,   you know, I think the biggest thing is is the the group that's been in office,   they they've had control of the   the council for a very long time, and,   things have just been rubber stamped versus   some true thought to it. So I think for us, it was,   if this is the last chance for the village   to remain a village, then we really need to make sure we have four people that really wanna work together and can collaborate and have good ideas.  



[00:23:13] Unknown:

Now are there any main points of differences or or minor, or are they all just kinda minor?  

[00:23:18] Unknown:

I I believe they're all just   minor   little minor things. Nothing major. We're all   pretty much in agreeance about the abatements.   Matter of fact, I'd say we're all in agreeance with that.   Absolutely.   Note about the, residential   abatements.   We really kinda look into   see growth, but not   growth as an annexation   and,   you know, residential areas. I think the four of us all pretty much have the thought of really pushing a business agenda.   So, like like, the downtown, is that what Right. Downtown and anywhere. Even the surrounding areas. Just, you know,   areas that can bring people and wanna bring people to Batavia.  

That that's,   I mean, obviously, we're gonna have enough residents for quite a while when these   developments are all finished. Yeah. I think to,  

[00:24:22] Unknown:

you know, I think we've struggled with how the the council has gone about   doing these   tax abatements and annexations.   And, you know, urban sprawl is already happening, but,   you know, there really is no need for   an extra,   I don't know, carrot to draw people in here to Batavia that you know, we have developers knocking on the door all the time. And Mhmm. For us to,   you know, put that and fast forward by offering these incentives seem,   counterproductive   to the services that the area has.   I don't know. I think  

[00:25:02] Unknown:

I think we all agree on growth.   It just needs to be planned growth and well thought out.   Sometimes I think the decisions that are made   are to correct   for   decisions they've made about other issues,   not   really for the entire   best thing of the community. For instance, the apartments,   with only having   one or the other day,   someone said there are gonna be two entrances, but they're only   gonna be 200 feet apart.   That's pouring all this traffic out onto Main Street,  

[00:25:39] Unknown:

and it's already a clog on Main Street. I don't know if you ever come No. I go to the that Red Barn every morning and even at, like, 07:00. Yeah. I mean, you're not wrong. It's it's a traffic jam. Yeah. If you leave in the afternoon  

[00:25:51] Unknown:

anywhere,   you know, 03:00 on till   sometimes seven.   It's it's   ridiculous.  

[00:25:59] Unknown:

And just the amount of car accidents that we've had down there on that second half of Main Street just trying to, like,   down by the   farmer's market. We've had plenty of accidents right there where people are trying to get in and out of that gym.   You know, and it's only gonna continue. It it's with more traffic, it's it's hard to   navigate that area.  

[00:26:22] Unknown:

So we're not against the growth, just to clarify. Yeah. Like,   it's just think it out a little better on   all the the domino effect it has to the entire community, not just the village itself.  

[00:26:36] Unknown:

And it it is with these developments that we already have.   It is gonna put more strain on the services that we provide, our street department, our police department.   Obviously, the more   residents we get, the more call for service.   You know? So we need to,   keep that in in mind as well. You know? We can't work ourselves   where we can't provide those services that we have too many residents.  

[00:27:08] Unknown:

And before we get too far along in in all of this, could you just briefly,   all just talk about your background a little bit? Because, you know, nobody runs for these positions for fame or fortune. So I assume you all have something you do besides wanting to be on council.  

[00:27:22] Unknown:

I have,   worked for the county for thirty two years.   I've worked in the same department. I work in child support.  

[00:27:31] Unknown:

Okay. Is that under CPS?  

[00:27:34] Unknown:

We're   JFS   is the umbrella of,   it houses   CPS Mhmm. Child support,   OMJ,   and,   JFS,  

[00:27:46] Unknown:

Department of Human Services Okay. Are all under one umbrella. So you probably know Dottie and yeah. Yeah. Okay.  

[00:27:52] Unknown:

Dottie would ultimately  

[00:27:54] Unknown:

be my director's director. Okay. So Yeah. I I had a really good conversation with them. They're Yeah. They seem like really nice ladies. And I've worked with her. I handle the felony cases. Okay. And,  

[00:28:05] Unknown:

when she was at the prosecutor's office, I had contact with her there. Yes. Okay. Very nice.   Great lady.  

[00:28:11] Unknown:

Next up? Yeah.  

[00:28:13] Unknown:

I don't did I just say my name every time or just No. I think it'll be Alright. Alright. This is Randy. This is Randy. Yeah.   I, I'm a school teacher. I I've taught special ed for   probably fifteen years. I got my start teaching up at the juvenile jail here in Clermont County and then caught up at Batavia. Now I'm at Grant Career Center out in Bethel, and,   you know,   that's what I do.  

[00:28:38] Unknown:

Mike.   And,   I was   the former police chief of Batavia   for over fifteen years. I was employed by Batavia   for over twenty as a police officer and the police chief.   Retired in 2018.   Had a lot of experience   dealing with counsel and the day to day operations   and the finances and the meetings. So I have a lot of experience dealing with counsel.  

[00:29:10] Unknown:

So outside of,   the developments,   which well, let me back up.   Because I've   I've heard it be accused that   there's no vision   for   the downtown or Batavia's growth or anything like that.   And I remember when I asked Mike Kinner this,   he said, you know, honestly, it's it's what the people want. So I'm gonna reframe the question as, what do you think the people of Batavia want when it comes to growth? Like, what kind of growth do you think that they want?  

[00:29:44] Unknown:

I   this   has been said forever   since,   Kroger's moved out. One of the big things they want, a grocery store,   those type of things to be more convenient.   Realistically,   can that happen possibly?   Take a lot of work to get it done. But,   and a lot of the smaller shops, again, my family was from Batavia.   I used I remember coming down there when all these storefronts were just that stores.   So they'd like to see a lot of things like that, I believe, on top of some of the,   newer modern stores.   But as far as the downtown itself, I believe they'd the village residents   mostly wanna keep it as kinda like the historic part, but still have businesses and stuff in it. That's what I believe.  



[00:30:41] Unknown:

I agree with that. I I think the biggest thing that you do here is some type of grocery store, something that,   you know, you can I mean, Dollar General is fine to run-in and get something here and there, but,   something more instead of running to escape?   So that would be the biggest thing that I hear.  

[00:31:02] Unknown:

Yeah. And I also just think that, you know, we just wanna, like,   you know, have something that people want to come down to the table to go do. You know?   You know, in the past, we had   the 5 and dime store and the pharmacy and different things. And, you know, I I know the village has always wanted to   they they're using growth as a a mechanism to say that that's gonna bring people back downtown. And   we'll we'll I guess time will tell if if that if their model that they're thinking of is is work gonna work. But,   you know, in order to get these   businesses back into downtown,   into our main street, you know, some of these buildings are in bad shape. You know, they probably couldn't pass food inspections. They,   they need work. And and, you know, mom and pop shops, you know, they don't have that type of money to do that type of remodeling. And,   you know, it's one of those things that's like, why did Chipotle build up in on Bower Road and not in the village? You know? Like, well, it's probably more cost effective to   build a new building than it is to remodel one of these old ones down here. And how do we go about, you know, using some of our resources like the CIC to   leverage   the type of businesses that we really want in the village to come down here?  

And, how how do we help the businesses that are already down here   to,   stay down here and,   improve their   facilities to expand what they're already offering? And I think those are some pieces that are already missing.  

[00:32:38] Unknown:

And just real fast, could you just say what the CIC is?  

[00:32:42] Unknown:

Oh, it's our community investment corporation that the village has. It's pretty much like downtown. Like, Cincinnati has a 3D3   c 3 c DC. 3 CDC. Okay. Mhmm.  

[00:32:52] Unknown:

To revitalize the community   and,   help businesses   rebuild or rebuild in the in the village.  

[00:33:04] Unknown:

So outside of,   growth,   what are the other things that you think the council could be doing better, the current council?  

[00:33:12] Unknown:

Communication.  

[00:33:14] Unknown:

Well Communication is key. Was that a was that a can of worms question?  

[00:33:18] Unknown:

Still walking.   Yes.  

[00:33:22] Unknown:

Awful lot. Yes.  

[00:33:24] Unknown:

Their   the meetings   are are not they don't respond to people well.   They don't answer any questions   on,   you know, just to so people can get a thought. And like we were saying earlier,   if you don't let people know what's going on or why you're doing something, then people start putting making up a scenario on their own. Mhmm. And then it just   spirals   to negativity, I think.  

[00:33:54] Unknown:

And it it it is. It's   the biggest thing, the transparency   part. And, you know,   everybody's gonna say that.   Well, not just in Batavia. I mean, I've interviewed people, everybody in local government. And that that seems to be the biggest thing. My my part is the,   financial part of it.   You know, I I just see a lot of,   spending that's not necessary   and comments that are made. And   when you're   doing tax abatements   and saying you're   doing that to get the money to sustain   the village and keep it and growth, but yet   our   expenses are going through the roof, and   that's  

[00:34:41] Unknown:

not the way. Can you actually I I don't mean to cut you off, but can you actually talk about the finances a little bit more? Because I went to the meet and greet with the candidates,   and I don't know if I was completely familiar with that that issue. And it sounds like and to your point, you know, it doesn't sound like the   current council is putting out a story very well. But   what is what is going on with their finances? Because at the meeting, it seemed like the current council member said everything's hunky dory,   but then, obviously, they got to you, and it sounds like it might not be. Right. Well, they  

[00:35:14] Unknown:

they have   and this is one of my parts   that being formally being employed by the village that I can really pick,   but know these things about the finances.   So when they go in and they show that they have x amount amount of money,   yeah, it looks like the village has   money.   But when you compare it to their expenditures,   yeah, they just said in a recent meeting, it only accounts for, like, 30%.   But when you're taking all these monies and and saying you're doing these things because the village needs money, but yet, again, I hate knocking   the employees   because they're great employees. They they deserve to be paid very well. But when you see   salaries   increasing,   you know, from 25   all the way up to 45%   over the last five to seven years,  

[00:36:11] Unknown:

that that's not a good eye test in my opinion. And why do you think salaries has have increased that much over the last couple of years? Well, according to  

[00:36:20] Unknown:

what council puts out is they need to   raise their pay to keep employees here.   I personally   disagree with that.   Batavia is a small village. It's gonna stay that way. You're not gonna be able to compete with the bigger departments,   whether it's police, whether it's street and maintenance. You're not gonna be able to compete with those larger agencies.   So   to say that we need to put our payout, we need to be competitive and maybe even a little above competitive if we can afford to do that. But we don't need to be paying,   you know   I I specifically don't wanna name That's fine. Positions.  

But just in   about five positions,   we've got over   well over a quarter million dollars in salaries.   But yet, we're telling people we need money   to operate and stay afloat.   To me, that's hard   for a lot of people to swallow. And, again, I wanna make it very clear. I'm not looking to cut any services,   anybody's   money.   I'm just saying we need to be more careful  

[00:37:31] Unknown:

with how we do that. In the village, is it I don't remember the number, but it is in debt.  

[00:37:37] Unknown:

Oh, yes. Okay. We're we're in line I if I had it with me, I'd show you from the last finance   meeting. We had   the village is showing, like, $78,000,000   in debt because   what they don't under a lot of people   I don't know if they understand or know.   With these tax abatements   that they're doing   and those payments that the village receives from those people,   that money has to go the village has to pay back 2,300,000.0   for Streamside.   I think it's 3,000,000  

[00:38:14] Unknown:

and something for a harvest. Because that's essentially how they would do it. They take out a bond Right. To get to get the development done, and then the pile of payment payments come in, and then you pay down the bond. So, essentially,  

[00:38:25] Unknown:

the village is not, in my opinion,   taking in a lot of that money at first because they gotta pay off that   that debt.   So that money's coming in. It's not really money for them to have to   do a whole lot with. Okay. So, again, you know, the there's   you know, the police department I know needs new cruisers.   You know? They're very old, very outdated.   Street department's got equipment that needs to be replaced. Those are things that   you have to spend money on   because they're required for them to be able to do their job.   But   to say that we have to go out and spend everything and and, again, back when I was employed,   the village would bring in x amount in,   income tax.  

And then when we make our budget,   we probably were spending about every bit of that income tax coming in.   And I think the village is still   per still doing that today.  

[00:39:31] Unknown:

Sorry. I didn't mean to cut you off there, Randy. Oh, no. You're fine. I was just gonna touch back on,  

[00:39:36] Unknown:

you know, when we were talking about   what the council would transparency,   and   I was just gonna talk about that. You know? I feel like,   they don't really give the residents respect when we're in council.   You know, typically, they'll talk down or wanna argue or,   they're always in, like, defensive mode versus, like, you know, sometimes, you know, if someone's   lean in and, like, try to hear their perspective   and see why why why are people upset about this.   And I think  

[00:40:07] Unknown:

Why do you think it it is like that currently?  

[00:40:10] Unknown:

I I think they just have   this vision in their head that   they are it's hell or high water.   They're gonna do this. This is what they they wanna do.   And,   they I think they're used to not being questioned. Like and now that they're being questioned, and the only response they typically have is, you know, we need to grow, or we don't have enough money.   And, you know,   those that you know, I've sat for a year say thinking,   well, am I missing something?   Like, why do we need these abatements? Tell me like, maybe maybe they're just smarter than me. Like, what what do I not know?   And they just can't answer the question. You know? And,   you know, I I just really struggle with   with how they   respond to people in the the meetings,   the lack of,   transparency.  

When I say transparency, I mean, like, our village,   minutes, they lack details. The,   and I say details, like, it'll say, like, cell phone tower.   You know? I'm like, okay. Well, like, where is it at? Like, it doesn't have any of the like, the who, what, when, where, and why. Like, it has none of that in there. And so, and the more you ask about it, I feel like the less they they they choose to provide. It's like, when you when you do when you, like it's like they're hiding something. And and the more that they choose not to disclose, the more  

[00:41:40] Unknown:

distrust that builds. And I think that's the thing we're trying to change. I'd just like to add one little thing to what he's saying with that.   The way that they do they do that, they're doing it with what they're required to do. They're not doing anything   illegal by not putting out more information.   And that's the point that he that I wanna make, that he's keen on. It it's not the fact   that   they're not doing it. They're doing the bare minimum of what they're they're required to do instead of putting more information out, instead of leaving people guessing and coming up with their own decision. Sorry to interrupt you, but I'm just And I think the other thing is just, like, when we say, like,  

[00:42:23] Unknown:

transparency, it's, like, they choose where they wanna advertise it. Like, they'll put it in the Claremont Sun, or they'll put a press release out and, like, WLL Radio picks it up, but it's not on their Facebook page.   Or, well, it's on the sign out front. Like,   they pick and choose   where they want,   those notices to go. But, you know, to me to be transparent, you put it on all your channels. You know? Like,   our their Facebook page is closed. Just because open it up. Let people have comment. You don't have to respond.   You know? Like, that's I'm sorry. Their Facebook page is closed? I didn't know that. Yeah. Like, you can't comment on it. Okay. It's   there's there's no, like, there's no public   comment allowed on it.  

And so to me, that's like a limit of freedom of speech. You know? Like,   you know, it should be open. People should be able to put a comment on there and, you know, you don't have to respond, but people  

[00:43:15] Unknown:

feel like they don't have a voice. Well, I think they're vague on purpose,   and they don't want to hear our responses.   And that was apparent   when we did the petition.   And,   we had over a 100 signatures about that asking put it on the ballot.   And then they totally   dismissed that ordinance   and then opened it up under a new ordinance   and then quickly voted on it so that we couldn't get another petition going.   You're not listening to the people then if everyone on the petition has said, this is what we'd like to happen.   They just shut it down, opened it up, and did what they wanted to do. So if you're not gonna listen to what   the residents want, that that's where I think they're caught up in themselves that they know best for all all of us   is their attitude.  



[00:44:10] Unknown:

But deep and they're easy to, like, just point the finger and be like, oh, that's that's the people of the township. And, like,   there's a lot of us in this room   that were are from the village, and you're just choosing to ignore us. You know? And and and that's a tough pill to swallow, after a while. We're I think for each of us to   decide to run for council, that was not, like, an easy decision to make. Like, we really thought hard and long about it. Like, you know,   I know I have kids, and, like, that's time away from my family. And,   I you know, those things are, like, real. And   but, again, like, when you value   this community and you want people's voices to be heard and go in the direction that,   we all see that   we we just want everyone to be heard. You know? And you can come down to Village Council when you have a complaint or a question, like, we wanna hear you. We wanna hear what you get to say. We wanna   maybe you have a great idea. Maybe we gotta I mean, god forbid, pause a vote and say we're gonna kick that down the street another month because that was a great point we hadn't thought about. Mhmm. And that has never happened.  

Right. You know? Right. And  

[00:45:18] Unknown:

and I think, you know, with us   I know Mike has a lot of experience with council.   I've gone to meetings for several years, but it is gonna be new to us. But in in that,   I'm certainly willing to do all the research to learn. I know Randy is. Like I said, Mike knows a lot about it already.   I think another big concern to get back to finance   is,   you know, they used to be the police department had a budget and the street department had a budget. Now they work out of the one fund.   Well and   I'm not sure how much   budget   or management   there is on, you know, you can spend this or you can spend that. If you don't have that,   I mean, even in our my household, if you don't give me some kind of limit Yeah.  



[00:46:09] Unknown:

I'm going. Yeah. But I have Amazon packages on my front porch to prove that. Exactly. Exactly. They they actually  

[00:46:18] Unknown:

do submit a budget,   but that budget is   just submitted and figured into   the overall.   That that one of the things that changed   and started changing   years ago right before I retired   is the way that money come in and was put in   to the UAN system, which is the uniform   Accounting Network. It's a state,   state   facility   thing that's ran program.   But now they have it to where it comes in, and they moved it all around to where it looks like all this money's in a one big giant fund, general fund. So it over inflates   what they actually   should   have. So they technically   have a budget, but don't work out of a budget.  

She's correct in what she said, but the head of the departments have to submit a budget.  

[00:47:16] Unknown:

Do you   do you worry that if growth slows down at this point that the village won't be able to grow out of its debt, essentially?   Is that a concern?  

[00:47:28] Unknown:

Well, I mean,   right now, some of those   right now, they have the money in the bank to pay off some some of those loans if they if they chose to.   You know, they have a couple three or 40%,   I think, loans. Yeah. And, they're just sitting on it because it's free money versus   paying the loan off.   And,   I mean, I think it's a it's a it could be a concern, but,   I guess, I I don't think it's a concern enough to say, like, we should do more abatements.   You know? Right. Right. I think, we we're to a point now where, like, we actually need to take cautious pause and   say,   you know, the fire department needs funded.  

The,   schools are gonna need new buildings. The,   you know, I think the other thing to think about is, you know,   developmental disabilities. Like, they're gonna lose $3,800,000   over the next   fifteen years. You know? Some of our most vulnerable,   agencies for the most vulnerable people in our community,   and and those budgets are are tight. It's not like they   they have, like, tons of money. You know, like, the parks, they don't have a ton of money. Mental health services, they don't get tons of money.   Children's services, like, you know, they're always budget to budget   every year,   and,   they have probably have the largest impact on our community, but, you know,   they're they're gonna take a hit. And if I  

[00:48:52] Unknown:

elaborate on that   a little bit as well, the,   the big answer to that question   to me is no   if we watch our spending now.   We can't continue to keep going into debt and   or rephrase that,   adding more debt   on what we already have   that if something like that happens. I think one of the big things,   it will   impact   the village if it happens.   But more so your schools, your fire departments, townships, and stuff like that is   you don't really hear much anybody talking about it is the, petition going around to do away with property taxes.   That's most likely gonna be on the ballot for a vote next November.  

So   you have to stay in my opinion, you have to start looking at that stuff now that if that happens and goes away, even if it passes, it happens, and it don't go into effect two or three years down the road,   we still need to start looking at what could that impact us now.   Because,   honestly, I believe people are tired of paying property taxes. I am.  

[00:50:10] Unknown:

I I'll be honest. I don't like paying property tax.  

[00:50:13] Unknown:

Excuse me. To add to that. Well, I was just gonna and maybe this is just to clarify a little. But, like, when you say that   the   police chief would have a budget and he would submit what his budget is.   The other night in the meeting, they were saying that,   there's   an officer that has,   eighty one or ninety one hours of comp time. Yep. And that   the village's policy is that you only accumulate forty hours of comp time on the books.   And then so they voted   to raise that to eighty hours, I believe.  

[00:50:52] Unknown:

So then And comp time, is that just like sick sick leave vacation? It's in lieu of in lieu of overtime. It's like time off. You've already worked. You just Okay. So if you got if you got  

[00:51:02] Unknown:

an hour and a or an hour overtime,  

[00:51:05] Unknown:

you would get an hour and a half of comp time. Okay. Which means So you wouldn't get paid for that time, but you can just But you can take sit at home and watch TV. Sorry. No. No. No. Paid when you take the time. Oh, well, oh, I see. I see. Vacation. Gotcha. Instead of vacation. It's almost like PTO, but you still have to work. If you earn it as PTO, and that's fine. And we had that at the county for a long time.  

[00:51:27] Unknown:

Then you get into the   thing of when do you take that time. And especially to me in the police department,   like, when I would earn comp time at the county and then I would take comp time off, nobody did my job when I was gone. I just had to, you know, make up the work when I got back. A police officer,   you're gonna have to have somebody cover   that other person's shift. So then either that person is gonna accumulate Come more calm time. Calm time. Or they're gonna be paid the overtime. So I'm like,  

[00:52:01] Unknown:

when they just Technically not.   You would be if that person it would be the same if they put in vacation time. If it's done and handled properly, which I have the utmost confidence   in the chief,   that,   you just   they schedule and ask to use comp time.  

[00:52:23] Unknown:

You schedule their time off, and you just fill it with somebody else in their normal hours. So you're not paying that extra money. Okay. That was But I the part I didn't understand in that and I'm like, well, if they're then gonna pay that person, then you're constantly gonna be in this.  

[00:52:40] Unknown:

But the behind the eight ball. The problem with that is is   I know this was the policy unless they changed it.   You could accumulate up to forty hours of sick time is what it used to be. There were times that it did happen to go over that.   But you would tell them, look. You gotta use some   comp time. If they end up with comp time at the end of the year, you're required   again,   unless it's changed, you're required by law. You have to pay them out at the end the year. You can't carry over comp time because that's carrying over pay from one year to the next. Yeah. So   So,   you know, it could be a it's a good tool   if used properly to hold down overtime cost.  

But, you know, it can also be abused. But to let to let,  

[00:53:35] Unknown:

you know,   a subordinate,   you know,   rank up,   eighty you know, forty plus hours. I mean, it does make you ask the question is, like, how did that get missed? And Because,  

[00:53:49] Unknown:

again, not gonna throw anybody under the bus. But when he got to a certain point, somebody should've went and said you're taking time   time off. Right. Right. That's what would have been made. Schedule some time off, or we're gonna schedule you time off. So  

[00:54:08] Unknown:

I think I know the answer to this question, but I'm gonna ask it anyway because we've talked about dissolution.   Are any of you for the dissolution of the village?   No. No. Okay. I didn't I thought that was gonna be a resounding no across the board. Let me ask a different question kind of similar   because I've I've heard that the village has aims to become a city at some point. Now they've tried to get over the 5,000,   population mark. Mhmm. Is that something that you're for? Would you like to see the village eventually become a city? No.  

[00:54:40] Unknown:

No. I mean, I don't   I don't know if we I mean, at this point, with the number of houses going in and you start counting people, I I I think it's gonna be inevitable with the number of homes that are being built. You can you you can have that population.  

[00:54:54] Unknown:

Doesn't   again. Not a So you don't have to become a city. You don't have to become a city. The only thing that a city does   is it requires   you to have a few more things than what a village currently,   has to provide to be a village.   But the biggest thing of it is if you become a city,   you can become a strong mayor form of government. You can become a charter.   And just in my opinion, look at the city of Cincinnati, and there's your charter.  

[00:55:26] Unknown:

Well and I think   current council's goal is   and   this is just my thought. I'm not not heard this out of any their of their mouths,   is that,   then they can raise it to 2%   of instead of the 1%   income tax.   So I think they're trying and, I mean, we're at, what, 3,000 people now,   like Randy said, with the   added growth that we're looking at currently,  

[00:55:58] Unknown:

it's not it wouldn't take much. Yeah. Just dream I think just dream side Harvest Meadows   was gonna put the village very, very close   to the 5,000.   I believe these apartments will probably put us over it. But Mhmm.  

[00:56:15] Unknown:

So no designs on becoming a city then? Not for me. Not not for you, at least. Yeah. Not for me.   And I think you touched on this, Brandy. You touched on this briefly. But can you guys talk about   village township relations,   where they are currently and where you would like to see them?  

[00:56:33] Unknown:

Well, I feel like right now, it's kind of, like, nonexistent a little bit.   You know,   I think we impact each other.   I think it's important that we,   you know, sit down and have some meetings together to talk about   where where they're upset with us or where where we can be better partners. I think we we need to,   you know,   CJ,   FED, like, the fire department.   Like, you know, we're using a lot of resources, but we're we're not paying   in those,   property taxes are are fair share necessarily because of these abatements. And, you know, we can do a better job about being a partner.   Like, you know, we own the police department in Batavia, and we don't let them go unfunded.  

Why is it okay for us to let the fire department   be unfunded? Like, we gotta be better owners. Like, we're co owners in the fire department. So I think some of that stuff is just us needing to sit down and be like, we're not against each other. We we could be a better Batavia if we if we work together. And I I think they would have the same vision. I just think that there's been so much resistance from the village over time that   that they just don't see it. You know? And  

[00:57:44] Unknown:

Exactly. I I've had some conversations   already   just talking and trying to get a feel about   that situation.   I   with the right people, I think the township trustees would   sit down and   at least be willing to talk to us,   and try to get back that   relationship because, again,   you know, we are part of the township and the village. You know, they are our neighbor, and we need to work together. And I I even feel we need to go further with that and even try to,   get a better working relationship with the county.   And I I I think those two entities,   you know, the village needs to have cooperation with. Again, we're not always gonna agree,   but it's all about how you approach it.  



[00:58:38] Unknown:

I think the   the township is as frustrated   as the residents are.   You know, they shake their heads at the meetings. They come to the meetings,   and I think they're just frustrated that   council will not listen.   So I agree with,   repairing those relationships   with the township and working together and,   you know, making it back into a great community.  

[00:59:05] Unknown:

You know, I would like to see us, start holding some, like, events together. Like, the county had the,   or the township had the police night out with the,   county. They they have a big crowd up there. Why aren't we doing it together and putting it on Main Street? You know, those are things that, like, we're doing double the work to hold the same event that we could have just held it together. Like, some of these things, like, we can do together   and have an even better event for our entire community. Mhmm.   And that was just one example, but I I I think they would be on board. Time out. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'll I'll pause it.  



[00:59:40] Unknown:

Yeah. No. No. No. We'll take a quick restroom break. No worries. No worries. Let me pause real fast.   Alright. We are back,   and   I've completely forgotten where we left off. Well, I know. I just I think we're talking about the village and township relations. Okay. Yep. I think we finished that up. I I think so. Okay.   So this is gonna kinda go back to what transparency and what we're talking about earlier.   What are the kind of concrete things that you would like to see the village do to increase transparency?  

[01:00:11] Unknown:

Well, I think we've touched on it some.   The   agenda   needs to have more content   in it.   They all know what it means, but when you're sitting in the   well, sometimes they know what it means. Like, I've been in the line. I said that, I had a flash I watched him be like of the voting of the hourly   police officer at the school,   and, one of the council members didn't even know what the old pay was. So   those things. Like, if they would put that clear on the agenda so that people could   know and understand what they're  

[01:00:53] Unknown:

voting on, talking about. You know? And even the agendas, like, you know, we just went to the   planning meeting. They had   documents up on the big screen. Like, if that stuff would have been made available ahead of time for us to actually look over and   I mean, I'm sure it was available if we went down and got it, but, like, some of this stuff could be provided online   and could you know, so we can have some thoughtful conversation,   about these things. Like, we're in the twenty first century now. Like, we shouldn't   have to be at a council meeting to be an informed citizen. Like, we we should be able to log on at home in our our in our free time or in the car while waiting for our kids from school and look over things,   online to be an informed citizen. Like,   the way the world works has just changed, and,   they've refused to to to move along with that. I think that's as that has added to the distrust because   what typically the rest of the world uses to communicate,   they refuse to use, like Facebook and Twitter and an updated website  

[01:01:53] Unknown:

and just  

[01:01:54] Unknown:

to have things on there that make sense, like the committees. Like, I tried to find who's on all the committees.   I couldn't find it. I couldn't really find the committee   meeting notes, but I'm sure if I dug deep enough, I could probably find who was actually at the meeting   and voted, but I don't think it would have actually told me who's   on the committee.   So there's just things that like that that would bring bring about some transparency that's not there. And a lot of the things that  

[01:02:22] Unknown:

are discussed   can be discussed   further   in front of the public   instead   of backdoor meetings,   you know, talking before meetings,   council meetings. And then they go up and they talk and they know everything that's going on. But like they said, everybody,   if you if you have no   part of knowing how these meetings go and what takes place, you're just sitting out there going, I have no idea what they're talking about. And some of these things, again, that I feel that are discussed in executive session,   I feel can be discussed   in the public.  

Yeah. And just because we just because you have the legal right   to pass something as an emergency   or to go and do executive session  

[01:03:16] Unknown:

doesn't mean you have to do it. And can you just briefly explain executive session in case somebody doesn't know what that is? It's  

[01:03:24] Unknown:

where they go in to talk,   privately in a room,   with just the   elected officials   and generally   the,   administrator.   And   it could be anybody they invite into executive session,   but they go out from an open meeting into a closed door meeting and discuss.   And the main reasons to discuss those things are litigation   and personnel matters.   The personnel matters,   I agree a 100%.   We you shouldn't   be discussing that in the public,   even though it can be.   And the   oh, I'm losing my train of thought. Litigation?   The litigation part of it, you have to you know, there are certain   SABE lawsuits   that you definitely don't wanna be out there discussing in the public. But there are other things that are discussed in those meetings that  

[01:04:27] Unknown:

because there are rules for executive session. Right? Yeah. Yeah. It's not like you can just, alright, everybody. Off to executive session and talk about whatever. And and  

[01:04:35] Unknown:

and, again,   it's been a little bit since I've researched that.   But executive session, there's a lot of fallacy that   says that you go into executive session that you as an elected official are not allowed to discuss what was in there. That's not true.   There's nothing that says you can't discuss what happened in there.  

[01:05:01] Unknown:

I lost my train of thought there. You can go ahead and go, Randy. He already did. Oh.  

[01:05:06] Unknown:

I think what we were talking about was the transparency.  

[01:05:09] Unknown:

Yeah. Concrete ways to increase transparency. You know, I think one of the biggest things for the village that I think all of us would,   agree with is that we would like to have a   more involved community in,   in our   village government.   So, you know, the other   I don't know. What was it? The Harvest Meadows. One of the one of the zoning meetings. Mhmm. You know, we had two two a council member resign, and then we had a zoning person resign. And they   found somebody to be on zoning the night before the vote where,   you know, they should have   punted and said, well, this has to be addressed next month. You know? Mhmm. And,   you know, was that was that position posted? Does it have to be posted? Shouldn't it have been posted? How do how do we you know, those are the things that I think, we would like to see is, you know, if you have an idea or you you have a skill set that   we don't know about or would would could help benefit our   our village. We would love to have you on   the zoning committee, or we'd love to have you on the finance committee. I think we have a lot of people in the village who are scared to be on these.  

I shouldn't say scared, but, like, don't want a part of it because of how nasty   these officials have treated other people, and they don't wanna be a part of that. Like, that's not how we treat each other. And I think for at least for me that,   when I see that, I'm like, you don't represent me. Like,   I wasn't raised to treat people that way. You know, we we need to treat each other civilly and and and talk through things. And we don't have to agree, but we can still be kind. You know? And it's kinda like an open door policy is what  

[01:06:48] Unknown:

I believe the four of us are looking. We we want input. We even if even if it's negative about something we're doing, we want the input. We want   people and, like he said, people involved. We gotta have   we gotta have that feedback to know. We just can't go off of a couple. We want   open dialogue.   We want   residents to be able to contact us   through email,   village office, whatever.   You know, we wanna be open   again to that transparency   part to where we're not where we don't wanna look like we're hiding anything.  

[01:07:27] Unknown:

And just like we're not perfect. Like,   maybe I'm sometimes as as people, we get siloed. You know? Like, we only see and know what's around us, but, you know, if you can come and and tell me a re like, explain it to me that a better way that we should be doing something, I would love to hear it because I think,   we if we work together as a community, we can be a stronger community.   And and when we   only have one one narrow vision, which I think is, like, kinda what's happening now Mhmm. You you see what the outcome has been. And,   and I think it's because they they limit that involvement.  



[01:08:03] Unknown:

Right. And I think when you have all the same   core   people on all these committees,   you're not getting new fresh   ideas. You're not and and, historically,   they don't listen. I mean, like I said about the petition,   you know, when and   we've discussed this that if one of us are not elected   council,   we still wanna be involved in other committees or help out because I think everyone's tired   of the way it's been now. And you in order to change that, you need new fresh ideas. You need   new,   new thoughts and people that are willing to bounce ideas off of each other and brainstorm.  

[01:08:46] Unknown:

And And and and even to go one step further with that,   again, there are four seats open.   We are all hoping that it's the four of us.   And if and if it is the four of us, you know, there are two other council members that are currently on council and are gonna be there for a couple years. And we we don't want it to come across that we're coming in   with what has been   over the years   the way that it's been one-sided.   We wanna come in. We're gonna we're gonna work with whoever, whatever   to make the village better,   and we want the input of the people to be able to do that. So I don't want anybody   to come off with this   podcast   thinking   interview that thinking that we're coming in and saying we're just gonna do this because   that's not our intentions. We want to work together. We don't wanna   create a divide within council.  



[01:09:48] Unknown:

You know? We all wanna work together. And we may have a different vision, but that doesn't mean that we're   gonna be nasty to each other. No. No. No. Like, I don't think that's an an r I thought nature. You know? I don't think negativity is productive at all, and I see negativity at the  

[01:10:00] Unknown:

meeting.  

[01:10:06] Unknown:

Interviewed Deidre Hazlebaker for Loveland Council,   I like the way she put it that she's not running against anybody. She's running for council. Is that a sentiment that you would agree with? I think we're running for the citizens. I mean, honestly, like For the community,  

[01:10:20] Unknown:

for yes. I can't tell you how many people's come up to us and just been like, oh my gosh. Thank you guys for stepping up and running. Like, I'm glad someone stepped up to do it,   that we just can't have the same people. I think   we have a lot of community members that are truly thankful that   people had the courage to step up to to fill these positions that they feel represent them, and I don't think they've had that in a long time. And and and then that is I mean, that's  

[01:10:47] Unknown:

definitely   it that, you know, we're   we're coming in   as new, as different. You know? We're not gonna agree on everything, but we can all go forward. And it it it's just been that same same same with the village over the years. You know?   I I   this is the point that I was gonna make that we have   in this election,   we initially had,   nine people,   or is it still nine?  

[01:11:17] Unknown:

I think it's eight. Eight.  

[01:11:19] Unknown:

People running for four seats.   Again, my time employed here for the village.   There were a lot of times that people ran unopposed. All these people that are sitting on council now ran unopposed. They've ran unopposed for years because nobody wanted to get involved.   We've taken a   a a stance. And, again, this wasn't something we just did overnight,   you know, and said, hey. I'm running for council. Let's all run together. It was a you know, we had talked Honestly.  

[01:11:49] Unknown:

And we met. How did you guys meet?  

[01:11:52] Unknown:

Well, I've known Mike for years. He's been a neighbor down the street from me. And,   actually, I was talking to him about the, you know, that were against the CRAs and asked you know, I was talking to him about the sign and putting a sign in his yard.   And I expressed to him that I was just so frustrated, and he was like, run for counsel. I'm like, that's completely out of my comfort zone.   I I'm like but I feel like I can't sit back and just complain anymore that I need to do be proactive   and do something about it. And then Randy, actually,   I've known for a while, and his dad worked with my husband's dad at Cincinnati Bell for years and years. But And so we  

[01:12:38] Unknown:

would chitchat on the sidewalk when she's out walking her dog or they're walking around. And, you know,   I've been asked by other   village citizens in the past, like, you should run for council. And, you know, I just, it wasn't the right time, you know. Yeah.   But again, just like Laurie said, you know, you get to a point where you're, like, I can't I'm not gonna be a Facebook warrior and not do something about it. Like, if if we're if you have the guts enough to say something on Facebook, then you should step up and   then put it to action like, you know, if if that's how you believe and,   you know, so I had talked to Lori and she was like, I don't know. I was like, you know, I don't wanna run if, you know,   if my voice isn't gonna be heard. You know, like, it's especially as I have kids. You know? You don't wanna give up time away from your kids knowing that   if only one seat of change happens, like, how much influence can you really have on change? But if there's four or five of us that all kind of believe the same thing, then we know we're gonna get work done. And so, you know, it's like, I talked to Tom. It's like, Tom, do you you know? And he was like, I don't know. And then Laurie I was like, come on, Laurie. And she's like, well, if I do it and then so so I Was it like you're all at the edge of a pool waiting for somebody to jump first? Needed someone to let you see just the pulled together. They're like, you know, the the I think the the sacrifice  

[01:13:56] Unknown:

of your family, you know, family time or what what have you, the community is worth it for for us to And I've had a lot of people say to me and, again,  

[01:14:07] Unknown:

I made my choice that I was gonna run that I was gonna run for council.   Again, I retired, got away from the village   for the politics part of it and all that,   for years. But,   to be honest, I got draw,   drawn back in  

[01:14:27] Unknown:

It's like Godfather three. Canine situation. Every time I get out, they just bring me back in. And, I got involved   with the with that and seeing how that was so mishandled. What was the canine situ? Because I'd seen stories about it, but I I didn't I didn't talk about it because I didn't know what was going on.  

[01:14:45] Unknown:

They can   put out, say, whatever they want. I can tell you, I   I personally   secured Batavia's first   canine ever.   It accidentally got killed.   I secured the second canine we had,   through Grant,   through the Havre Camp Foundation.   I was gone shortly after that,   just to jump ahead with the thing with the dog. The officer,   that left that was handling the dog was here,   was gonna leave, then he wasn't gonna leave,   then it just went back and forth between and and the village.   Long story short with that, he shoulda got the dog for a dollar. Yeah. It's in the Ohio revised code. It states that   they say the dog had useful with,   maybe a year left of usefulness in them.  

I would argue that,   but,   he should've got the dog. And when they made him pay the money for the dog   and then put out and said, no. None of this stuff's true. And I know for a 100%   fact that it was true.   That just I had enough.  

[01:16:02] Unknown:

I think those are the type of things that, like, we Might need to take the mic in.   Adjust it just slightly. I think those are the type of situations that all of us have seen happen   over the past, at least, year and a half that has really just been somewhat alarming. Like, the other night, we were at the,   maybe two meetings ago at the zoning meeting. They said, oh, we're gonna change   what was it? The CRA? Yeah. The CRA on five parcels   In the village. Properties. So they're getting ready to vote, and I just said, have they been notified? You know? And they literally because the whole village is is a CRA. Well, they did. Technically. But now they've decided Sorry. Because, like, if you wanted to improve your house here, you could essentially do it, and then pay taxes on the roof. I have a CRA on my home. I I remodeled it. It was, in terrible shape when I bought it. So my CRA is based on the improvement   the improvement money that I put into the house versus but it's not a That's that's what a CRA was for, though. Right. I use it for one purpose. Right. A blanket farmland. Right. It was for to  

[01:17:04] Unknown:

improve   existing buildings.  

[01:17:07] Unknown:

But, they decided that now there is some,   a chess game here with the CRAs is that if they take it off properties,   then that property owner would owner would have to come to them to negotiate   to be able to get the CRA.   So now,   basically, they took a c r away CRA away from five   lots Mhmm. And did not notify   Really? Those owners because they in their words, they didn't have to.  

[01:17:36] Unknown:

So there's things that I've seen several times in council meetings that might be legal,   but to me, are they moral or ethical?   I think that if you're gonna change and and I Randy and I found that alarming that night that they hadn't notified the people. So what if they wanted to change anything with anybody else's properties?   The some of the five parcels that are owned are owned by,   one two of them are owned by a company.   What if that man was in the middle or that company was in the middle of a sale contract and the whole deal was that it's on a CRA?   I'm not sure if you're familiar with the area, but it's going up Clough.  

And it's the,   dirt land on the left and then   the woods and all that on the right as you go up the hill that butts up with Karen Drive.   So that gentleman,   to me, I don't I don't know the   company that owns it or whatever. But what if he was in a contract to sell it and  

[01:18:37] Unknown:

John Jurgensen. John R. Jurgensen owns all that property. So that It just seems shady. It's Right. That's to me. No. I think, like, sometimes you do the right thing, and and that sends a note you send them a notice whether   whether it's law or not, but they should have a right to to voice their opinion. I'm actually surprised that isn't the law.   Well, they said it wasn't. I'm not gonna say it. They said  

[01:18:59] Unknown:

it wasn't. You know? Yeah. And and Fair enough. And I guess to sum up the question   that you asked that, you know, we've just personally   experienced over the years and seen enough to say   it's time for change.  

[01:19:13] Unknown:

Mhmm. So you brought up CRAs and how their CRAs in the village proper, you know, like downtown and everything. And I imagine a lot of people around here take advantage of that. Well, I would actually say that, you'd be surprised how many didn't know about it. It's not that well advertised. You know? I found out only because at that time, we I had been going to some council meetings and was like, oh, they have a c r like, what is that? You know? And,   so that's how I had learned about it,   you know, eight years ago. But,   you know, we had a new neighbor move in next door, and I was like, hey. Do you know? And she's like, no. I did not know that. You know? A lot of people here in the village   don't   don't know   what they can apply for, you know, because it could be even just,   you know, a remodel of a bathroom and a new roof and a patio. You know? Like, that would count. And,  

[01:20:05] Unknown:

the the thing is the website does not have enough information on it. Well, they didn't volunteer that information for me when I just paid my building   permit to put my cover over my patio.  

[01:20:17] Unknown:

Anything that's an improvement, I believe, is about now I might be speaking maybe I'm wrong, but I'm just saying you know, I think as long as you're in the CRA, any major improvements How much that can be filed.  

[01:20:28] Unknown:

I've got a a few more questions.  

[01:20:31] Unknown:

Because I hate to be the party pooper. Oh. No. So,  

[01:20:36] Unknown:

one more question. It has to do with CRAs and annexations and growth in general.   Would any of you say that you're   blanketly   opposed to tax abatements or opposed to annexation or anything like that? I'm not opposed to  

[01:20:49] Unknown:

tax abatements   completely.   If it was to draw   a business and a and   a business that would be pretty significant   for Batavia,   I would I would be for that. But   with that being said,   any abatements that I would be a part of for business,   the fire department and the schools would be made whole. Mhmm. Mhmm. I I that would be part of the deal   is those   entities would be made whole. And if that was a deal breaker, then   that would be the deal breaker.  

[01:21:29] Unknown:

You know, I'm all for,   the, tax abatements when they're used as they were designed to be used for repairing homes,   lighted empty lots, or properties that need to be developed,   things to improve the community. I I have no problem with that. But when we're   just bribing,   you know, developers to come here so we can annex land in, I I don't think that is   a good thing. You know? And  

[01:21:57] Unknown:

In in this market, you don't have to do that. People would buy properties. I think what   in some ways,   I'm interested to see what's gonna happen in at the end of the fifteen years. I know I've heard from it, and you say it's hearsay, I suppose,   because not anybody direct, but that some of the people that live in those neighborhoods can't afford the home once they have to pay their taxes, and their plan is to sell it in the fifteen years. So are you gonna have all these homes up for sale?   And then it also puts,   you know, anybody that   I I live in the home that my husband   was raised in, so we're not selling. We're not going anywhere. We'll die in that home. But to somebody that wants to sell their home in Batavia, if you wanna sell your home in   is somebody gonna buy your home, or are they gonna go up to the tax abated neighborhood where they don't have to pay taxes for fifteen years? So I think it's kinda hurt   some of the residents too that might be interested in selling.  

So  

[01:23:02] Unknown:

I,   I think it it's also hurt Main Street in some ways. Like, we have,   developed land on the outskirts   of the village that's really   township. Mhmm. Like, it's way out there and that you know, I feel like when you look at population density,   because that's what the,   you know,   develop, like,   retail and   restaurants and business owners are looking at when they're trying to, you know, figure out where they wanna put a Chipotle or   a a McDonald's.   And, you know, they we got three huge neighborhoods now right up off   Bauer Road. And, you know, why why is Bauer developing, but the village isn't? And so there there's a lots of questions of have we have we created a new area for Main Street because it's more viable. It's,   the buildings are easier to be built and used and repaired versus coming to the village. Like, why why are they building there and not down here? I think those are questions that we really need to take a look at   and decide,   you know, how do we move forward to attract people not to Bower Road, but to down here? And,   even though they say they serve the same purpose, I think, you know,   it it does make you wanna ask those questions. And I would I would love to have our village administrator, like, find out, like, why do you choose there versus down here? And those are things that I think we really need to take a a a deep look at because it's two minutes up the road here, and and they're getting businesses and we're not. And what what's driving that? So I think those are some things that we really need to look at. Maybe some mixed use developments down here in the village would would would help that.  

Maybe redoing   certain blocks of Main Street if we ever be able to own some of those buildings to   make them look historic and and have that feel, but are new inside, maybe with apartments above. I would like to see those are the type of things that, like, people keeps calling us, like Milford   or Loveland. Those are the type of things that they've done in those areas to help revitalize   their their,   nightlife and and, their main streets. And, you know, that's not necessarily the approach that they're taking that has been taken here yet. So But the the one of the problems with that approach  

[01:25:19] Unknown:

is Milford on their main street doesn't have   one zero one,   the County Administration   Building, the courthouses,   you know, all the county buildings on our Main street, which kinda   makes a little different to what type of businesses you wanna attract or can attract.  

[01:25:40] Unknown:

Well and I think Milford,   they're   at least the city of Milford, I think from what I've heard   works well together. Their council, their mayor,   you know, I I had heard that they were looking at charge starting to charge for parking and   every all the residents   were upset and they disagreed with it. And their mayor said, this is off the board then. We're not we're not gonna vote on this. We're we're tabling it.   They listen to their people. So  

[01:26:12] Unknown:

And, you know, Milford's not Batavia. You know? Like, they have Indian Hill right up the street from them.   Terrace Park. Terrace Park that helps speed their nightlife.   You know? We're we're just a a community built a little differently, and I think we have to take those items into consideration as we And use them to our benefit. Mhmm.   For sure.  

[01:26:31] Unknown:

One more question,   and then I will give everybody the floor to make your final pitch.   What do you think the village is currently doing well?  

[01:26:42] Unknown:

Our school you mean, of the village itself. I thought I was thinking the community.   Let's see. The street department is I I I   like the police department,   the street department.   Our,   Main Street, I think, looks nice with,   you know, the the feel of the flowers and that sort of thing.   The snowplow,   I mean, you couldn't ask for,   I think, a better   snowplow and taking care of the roads, but I think those are two positive things.  

[01:27:17] Unknown:

I   mean, I   some of the   vision of growth with the village or looking at the village to be viable,   I think are good things.   Just the route they're going,   and the   the the way they're going about it, that side thing's the problem. I mean,   a village,   township, county, whatever running it, it's just like running a business.   In my opinion, it's a business.   And, you know, you have to you're gonna spend money to make money even though the village isn't an entity here to make money,   but we have to make money to provide those services.   So I   I think the village's services and   and, that they provide are are one of the,   essential things that we have.  

But we definitely need to step up on maintaining our current infrastructures   or   those streets and stuff need to be done.   But, yeah, there's a few things they're doing, in my opinion, that are in the right direction.  

[01:28:32] Unknown:

I think we just have good people. Like,   we have good people that work in the, like,   in the police department. The the peep the people that do the work.   Mhmm. We have really good people that care. They they step up. They take pride in their jobs. They take pride in what they do. And, those things are invaluable.   You know?   I don't necessarily think the village office is is doing a great thing yet, but I I do believe that,   you know,   the people that the boots on the ground that are doing the things,   they care. And, they're good people.   And if you ask them something when they're out, they're they're more than willing to help.  

You know? The the police department, somebody was moving, and they needed help with the basketball hoop or I don't know. Something. We all went over to to help, and the police stopped and helped. And, you know, we we have a really good community of of people that   live and work in this community that   care. And I I think that's one thing we've done really well is the hires that we have are are good people.  

[01:29:36] Unknown:

Alright. Well, that concludes all my questions. So if you guys just wanna take I'll give you as long as you want and just make your your final pitch for why you should be on council.  

[01:29:47] Unknown:

I don't know. For me,   I   I think we just need to   really think about, like,   how we do things.   Is it the best way to do things? How we how we treat our constituents?   Are we listening?   For for me, it's also,   you know, if   if we don't get the deal we want with the schools, then we need to try again. You know? I think right now, they've they they thought they had a deal, and then they didn't have a deal, and that whole thing was a a train wreck. But, like, they keep saying that, oh, I don't know. Well, did you try again?   Have we gone back to that communication again? Why don't we sit down again   and figure out what we what went wrong?  

What did we do wrong? Did we set expectations of, like, how the CRAs are done? I think that's the thing that we, the village has failed at is letting these entities know how do they bargain for that money or how do they   what what's the process? You know? And right now, it's just coming back. Yeah. But there's nothing formally written out. There's no formal process.   I think that's some things that need to happen is,   you know, not only   to do better at what we do, but when   we have an innovative ideas where we can give money to somebody or to,   I don't know, improve something that   let's put a process in place so it's fair for everyone versus we're just doing it because,   you know, so and so told so and so, and then they're like, oh, they applied and they got it, but nobody else knew that it was even available. Like, there just has to be a process, and I think that's something that the village is missing across the board is like, well, what's the process? Like   so we can do it fair for everybody. And,   I don't know. I'd I'd love to be on council.  

I love Batavia. I think   anybody that knows me knows I love Batavia, but we,   we can I think   we can all do better? You know? As citizens, I think   down at the village council meetings, it's been heated. The temperature's been a little high. I think let's turn it down a little bit. I think the council members, they've not been their best selves. You know? I think all of us can do better to make Batavia better. And when we choose to work together, I think, we're gonna start seeing some amazing things happening, but I just want people to be involved.  

[01:32:05] Unknown:

I agree.   I would love to be on council to help the community,   to work with everyone as a team.   I think that's where   it struggles on just that, sense of community   that I feel like,   is not is not in Batavia that   used to be. I first moved here in '96 and,   you know, the helping your neighbor,   that sort of thing, and and processes   in in place, you know, like like Randy said about   using technology,   I would push for even when you're at the meetings, you'd see having the information on your screen to, you know, on your phone to where you can see because even when they have it up on the screen, you can't see it. So I think improvements on that are, one thing that I would work for and just everyone working together and getting new ideas and   just   just a whole different attitude on   teamwork.  

And so that's,   and   morally and ethically. I just have a   a big issue with that. So  

[01:33:20] Unknown:

Me personally,   a lot of people know me. I might even say there's   probably quite a few out there that don't really care for me for my former position as chief of police.   I'm running for council again.   I gave twenty years of my life to this village, so, obviously, I care. I'm still here, and I'm willing to   put myself right back in the mix of the abuse.   But,   I personally,   not running for council because of popularity.   I'm not a person that that faces me.   I'm a clear,   you know exactly where I'm coming from.   I'm I'm straightforward.   I guess, probably my favorite saying that'll go well with me with counsel   is there's no gray in my world. It's black or it's white.  

You know? And   if I would get elected on counsel, that's the way I plan to be. You have a question, I'm gonna give you an answer.   If I don't know the answer, I will get you an answer, and   you will know. And and that's the way, you know.   Sometimes it has to be that way. You just, you know nobody's never gonna guess which direction I'm coming from.   And I've I've just seen the village   over the years   just   keep going back in this direction of   one side rules everything, and   it's time it changes. And   would appreciate and hope   for support from anybody for   my position to be on council and would definitely hope they would support the other three because   we've actually put in quite a bit of time ourselves   trying to get a direction to go take the village forward, and I think the four of us could do a very good job of that. And one last time, could you mention the the fourth member that wasn't able to join us? Tom Smith. Tom Smith. Okay. Excellent.  



[01:35:29] Unknown:

I've come to the end of the questions. So I think I'm gonna call this a successful podcast and thank through all three of you for, braving the cold elements   and and doing this. I really appreciate it. Like I've said before, I think it's just very important that people hear from people running and their elected officials. So thank you very much. We appreciate you taking the time to do that to help get our message out. And, I mean, that  

[01:35:51] Unknown:

it's Randy said it many times, you know, today's day and age, this is how how you need to do things so people get out and get your message and and and know what you're saying and where you stand.  

[01:36:04] Unknown:

And,   as Claremont as a whole,   you know, your podcast is positive  

[01:36:10] Unknown:

and has tidbits and I'm definitely leaving this in the podcast.  

[01:36:14] Unknown:

A resounding endorsement for Let's Talk Claremont. I mean, these days, things can be so negative,   and I love that, you know, your your tidbit of news on all the different areas of, you know, the county. I just think that's,   you know, fabulous, whether it's, you know, something on gardening or   I am gonna look for that,  

[01:36:37] Unknown:

recipe that you said that you Oh, yeah. No. That's coming. Listen. My wife, she she's just an emotional cook. She just throws spices in like, oh, I'm feeling like this today. Well   I have no idea if it's gonna be if I'm gonna be able to recreate that punch or that that cider. When you said that, I thought, oh, no. I'm a recipe follower. It has to have I cannot be I am too. A dash of this or, you know, pinch No. No. No. It's  

[01:37:00] Unknown:

the exact thing. So, yes, I'm looking forward to that. So Well, I I appreciate all those kind words.  

[01:37:06] Unknown:

Well, the the big thing of it is with your with your podcast and what I've seen was so many   other ones,   without naming names.   Again, you're positive.   You give you give an outlet for people to speak what they feel without personally attacking anybody. And then that's the that's   I I don't like that at all. I don't like that you've got good information.   You've got a very good   storyline,   but yet   you gotta take it to that next level because that person   didn't answer your question   that you wanna attack them. And that's   I wanna give you a kudos to that. Thank you.  



[01:37:51] Unknown:

I've said it before. There's lots of reasons why somebody wouldn't wanna talk publicly about lots of things. So, you know, if you don't wanna do that, that's fine. I'll go find somebody else to talk to. Although it does  

[01:38:02] Unknown:

it makes you curious with the village of Batavia, but then, like, you said, what's the smell in New Richmond? Now you've now you've got me, like Man, I don't know what that is. I need to go investigate that. And, apparently, there's some funky smell down there. All that. Well, I'm like, what is it? Because I have this program that'll kinda scrape scrape,  

[01:38:20] Unknown:

websites. When every time they have an update, I'll get notified.   And it was just A couple weeks ago, it was a one line sentence. We've heard reports of a strange smell, and we're looking into it. And it was just yesterday. It's like, we've looked into it, and crews are fixing it. Okay. Well, I guess it's getting fixed. I was gonna say, but then it makes you go, what is it? Yeah. I don't know. Say. I'd I have no idea. I should probably call New Richmond and   see what see what's so funky down there. But   But, anyway,   thank you, all of you. And like I said, I'm gonna call this a successful podcast. Alright. Get on the line, everybody. Yes. Thank you.  

Well, Well, I hope you enjoyed the interview, and we're gonna thank Laurie, Mike, and Randy   one more time and remind you that there was a fourth member that was not able to make it. Tom Smith had parent teacher conferences.   I think he's a teacher at the high school. But, anyway, I wanna thank them and thank Randy who let us use his backyard for the interview. It was a little chilly, but we muscled through it. So thank you, Randy, for that. And thank all of them for sitting down with us. Like I've said in the past, it's really nice to be able to have   just a a long   conversation with candidates about, you know, what why they're doing what they're doing and what they think the biggest issues,   you know, in this case, the village is facing in for the future. So   thank you again to them. And   win or lose, I'd like to have them all back on. I I think they all do very interesting things.  

Even Tom, like, you know, I'd be interested to hear what's going on up at the high school if he's willing to come on and and talk about that.   So   thank you to all of them, and I hope you enjoyed it.   But we've got some events to talk about. And like I said, tomorrow, we will have   a refreshed list of events. So if you've been listening to the events section, you're probably not gonna hear anything new. But, you know, it's always nice to be reminded. And if you haven't, you're gonna hear some new events.   Oh, it's Halloween.  

We are coming up on trick or treat night. So countywide, trick or treat, October 31, six to 8PM across   Claremont County.   Most municipalities   and townships,   including   Batavia, Bethel, Goshen, Miami Township, Milford, New Richmond,   Pierce Township, Union Township, and Williamsburg   will all observe six to 8PM door to door trick or treating on Halloween night. Check your community's page for any weather updates.   And remember, if your lights are on, those kids are gonna expect candy.   Don't be a Halloween Scrooge.   If your lights are on, you're handing out candy, man.  

And, yeah, I I mean, you know, come on. Hand out candy. What it's fun to do. I actually get a little sad that I don't get to hand out candy because I've gotta go trick or treating. I like both of things. It's fun to anyway,   don't be a Halloween Scrooge, hand out candy. But if you can't, make sure your lights are off, or you might get a trick.   Okay.   Moving on. We have the genealogy   workshop like we talked about in the intro.   It is Bluegrass State Research. This is gonna be on November 1,   one to 3PM at the Doris Wood Branch Library. You will learn strategies for tracing Kentucky ancestors,   things like boundary changes changes, record gaps, and where to find sources   from a certified   genealogist,   Dana Palmer.  

It is free and open to the public, and you can attend in person or via Zoom if you wanna attend this in the comfort of your own home. And it is hosted by the Clermont County Genealogical   Society. Shout out to Paige Craig. Hope she's doing alright over there.   Next, we have the woman's camping retreat. This is gonna be an overnight event on November 1 at the Shiloh Lock 34 Park. It is adults only, 21 and over, and it is an overnight at Shiloh Lock 34 and Crooked Run Nature Preserve   with choose your own activities. There'll be outdoor skills that you can learn about, you know, a museum tour, canoe float if the conditions are right,   campfire cooking,   s'mores charcuterie,   yoga, and more.  

It is free to register, but bring your own camping gear because there are limited yurts available.   And, pre register pre registration   is required because there is a limited space. So if that's something you're interested in, head over to the park's website and be sure to sign up for it.   And last but not least, we have the Cincinnati Fall Avant Garde Art and Craft Show.   This is going to be on November 2 at the RSVP   Event Center in Loveland.   It is a one day juried show with over 60 makers. It'll feature handmade jewelry, decor, apparel, fine arts, seasonal gifts, and they'll be on-site concessions. Always good when they feed you.   $3 to get in, but kids 12 and under are free, and a portion of the proceeds benefit animal aid nonprofit,   Cuddly.  

It is a great early holiday shopping   opportunity   close to home in Clermont County. And as a note, if anybody goes to this, it'd be great to get a, I guess, we're gonna call it a boots on the ground report   because I have no idea   what avant garde crafts look like. I I have an idea of avant garde art,   but crafts, I have a feeling that might be a little wild.   So if anybody goes to that, I'd love to hear what it's like.   And we'll do a quick note on events. I do the best I can to find as many as I can, but I know I don't get all of them. So   if you have an event or you know of an event that you would like people to know about, info at let'stalkclairmont.com.  

I'm not gonna promise I'm gonna put all of them on here because I have a feeling that could turn into a three hour event section.   But, you know, let me know. And,   and we'll see about putting it on this this little event rundown.   And, of course, we are a value for value podcast because we want to be completely independent.   That's why I chose to,   have a listener supported model.   So value for value means is that if you find value in what we're doing over here, we just ask for a little bit of value in return, and that can be in the form of time, talent, or treasure. It doesn't have to just be money, time, and talent.   Right in. Let us know what's going on in your community.  

Let us know who we should be talking to. Think about that question I've been asking. What's the character of our county? What are we trying to preserve in the face of all this development pressure? And   if you really love high school sports, let me know. I'd love to have a high school sports section in here. It could be as simple as just writing in.   You could record yourself on your cell phone. Whatever the case may be, get in touch, and we'll make that happen.   For treasure, go to the website, www.let'stalkclairemont.com.   There is a donations tab. Go ahead and click that. And you can donate via PayPal or Stripe. That's gonna be the easiest way to do it. If you wanna do it a different way, let me know. We will make that happen.  

For PayPal, importantly, you can do reoccurring donations, subscriptions.   So if the show is worth a buck a month, $5, whatever the case,   please do that. It'll really help sustain the show and keep   us doing what we're trying to do here.   Now any dollar amount is very appreciated.   Very, very, very appreciated.   But   for producers that donate $50 and above, you will get a special show mentioned. And for $200   and above,   you will get an executive producer credit that I will vouch for. And I'll read a note that you write on air, and the note can be within reason   just about anything.  

Also, if you wanna keep up to date with what we're doing over here,   Let's Talk Claremont podcast on Facebook at Let's Talk Claremont on Instagram and that newsletter. Like I said in the intro, we're gonna have Katie's   hot site spiked cider. We gotta come up with a better name for that. I'll have to workshop something. Anyway,   we're gonna have our hot cider recipe with booze in it.   That's gonna come out tomorrow. So, hopefully, you're signed up for the newsletter so you can get that. And after the election, we're gonna try to do more fun stuff like that. I just haven't had the time to dedicate,   to figuring out all the different things we can do, but there will be things in that newsletter that you will not get in the show. So please sign up for that.  

And, of course, follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts,   or whatever it is you happen to use   for podcasts. It really helps the show out, but it helps you out because you will be notified anytime   a new show goes live. And if you just wanna get in touch and say hi, info@let'stalkclaremont.com.   I'm a pretty nice guy, and I'm pretty responsive. So if you send it a note,   I'm not gonna promise I'll get back to you, but I'll do my best. So and I'd love to hear from you.   Oh, alright. I gotta tell you, I'm really looking forward to going back to regularly scheduled programming, and this has been a we've been at a breakneck speed,   so it'll be nice to kinda quiet things down after the fourth.  

But   thank you. Thank you. Thank you for listening. Thank you for tuning in.   If you're here because of the election stuff, I really hope you stick around.   That's gonna be it for today, and we will see you tomorrow.