Amelia Transition
Election Results to dissolve the Village of Amelia were certified on Monday, November 25, 2019. As a result of this vote, Pierce Township will provide the following Services for the portion located within Pierce Township:
Pierce Township Fire and Emergency Medical Services will respond to all calls dispatched for the Pierce Township territory formerly known as the Village of Amelia located on the south side of State Route 125.
Pierce Township Police Department will respond to all calls dispatched for the Pierce Township territory formerly known as the Village of Amelia located on the south side of State Route 125.
The Ohio Department of Transportation will take responsibility for maintenance, snow removal, street lighting and signals on State Route 125. Pierce Township will take responsibility for maintenance and snow removal on all other roads on the south side of SR 125 in Pierce Township. Approximately 10 miles of roadway will be added to Pierce Township. (There are no County roads to be added to the Township in this area.)
The Pierce Township Service Department will take over maintenance responsibility for Amelia’s parks located within Pierce Township.
Curbside Garbage and Recycling Collection will remain unchanged and has been paid by Amelia residents through December 2019. Since the transition period will continue past that time, the Pierce Township Waste Levy will not apply. Rumpke will continue to bill residents directly for garbage and recycling services until the Pierce Township Waste levy applies. Please be reminded that Pierce Township does not provide leaf or brush pick-up. This can be added to your regular trash.
During the transition period Amelia will continue to collect all revenues at their current tax rates. This means that the Amelia Income tax will continue to be collected during the transition period, as long as it is necessary to cover existing and current obligations. Please be aware that income taxes accrued are still due and payable with penalties applied for non-compliance. We realize that this is a sore subject, but all of the revenues owed to the Village must be collected in order to pay current liabilities and shorten the transition period. We are working diligently to determine the extent of the village liabilities to be covered from existing revenue sources. There are several determinations to be made regarding whether the revenue streams tied to certain debt will continue to be collected throughout the term of the debt or only during the transition period. Some debt can be paid off early, and some cannot (not callable).
Pierce Township has passed a moratorium on zoning, since we do not have the authority to implement Amelia’s zoning process. Township zoning involves the Clermont County Planning Department and a different set of rules under the Ohio Revised Code. There are certain exceptions which allow projects that have been platted and approved to move forward, but no zone changes can be initiated or zoning permits issued until Pierce follows the procedure to adopt compatible zoning to cover the new territory. More information can be found regarding the Zoning Moratorium by clicking here.
For those who were curious, we have been told that the Amelia Post office name will not change. This is a Federal Agency that is not affected by the vote to dissolve the village. Both Pierce and Batavia Townships are supporting the continuation of the Amelia Christmas Parade on December 8 from 2-4:00pm. We have no plans to change the name.
Summary of meetings with the State of Ohio Auditor about this process – download summary