A coalition of residents in New Richmond say they’re one step closer to dissolving their Clermont County village.
David Peters, leader of the New Richmond Village Dissolution Initiative, filed his petition to dissolve the village the afternoon of July 14. He submitted 263 signatures to New Richmond Council Clerk Kelley Snider and Ohio Township Trustee Joel Gilpin, according to time-stamped receipts reviewed by the Enquirer.
The petition needs at least 219 valid signatures, or 30% of electors in New Richmond, to appear on the ballot. The village still needs to review the signatures to ensure there aren’t duplicates and that all the people who signed live in the village.
If the village council doesn’t act on the petition within 30 days of it being filed, the coalition can file it with the Clermont County Board of Elections.
During the village council’s July 14 meeting, Peters asked the council to make a motion to put an issue on the ballot in November that will allow residents to vote on dissolution. He also asked the council to place a measure on the ballot that allows residents to vote on a controversial project to build four roundabouts on U.S. 52 through New Richmond, which has sparked the recent calls to dissolve.
Peters also said residents might consider recalling councilmembers who move forward with the U.S. 52 project.
“We will be watching, we will be documenting,” Peters told the council.
It’s unclear when or if the council will vote on the petition. New Richmond Solicitor Scott Sollmann said during the meeting he has advised the council to not speak about the petition and dissolution because there could be potential litigation.
“Blame me, not them,” Sollmann said.
New Richmond is home to around 2,800 residents about 20 miles east of Cincinnati. If it dissolves, the village, its government, and its services would no longer exist. Ohio Township would primarily absorb New Richmond. A very small portion of New Richmond, the site of the now-decommissioned Beckjord Power Station, lies in Pierce Township.
Village officials previously told the Enquirer that dissolving the village would completely eliminate New Richmond’s police and fire services, and it could mean New Richmond residents see response times increase by 7 to 10 minutes.
During the July 14 meeting, Scott Wolf, an Ohio Township Trustee member, said during public comment the township would not be able to support providing emergency services to fill this gap.
“No, there’s no way the services will remain the same,” he said.
Another village in Clermont County, Batavia, could also see dissolution on the ballot this November, after a Batavia Township resident filed almost 200 signatures on a similar petition with the Batavia Village council in July.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: New Richmond residents one step closer to dissolving village
Reporting by Mia Hilkowitz, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mia Hilkowitz, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
