Developer and property owner press council on large maintenance assessments for 1243 Camaro Court
February 16, 2026 | Forest Park City Council, Forest Park, Hamilton County, Ohio
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Two members of the public raised a dispute over long-accumulated maintenance fees and special assessments for a vacant lot at 1243 (transcribed variously as Camara/Camorra/Camaro) Court and asked the council to clarify amounts and consider fee relief.
Sherman Morris introduced the matter and said he has sought clarification for nearly a year without resolution. He said the bill is "pretty aggressive" and described being passed between staff without a final answer.
Sylvia Thomas, owner of Campbell Custom Homes, said assessments on the lot date back several years and that she had been given multiple, inconsistent figures (about $10,810; about $12,200; and over $20,000). She asked council to identify the exact amount and to consider waiving most fees so a preapproved family could proceed with construction within its budget. "If we have had this thing cleared up by now, we probably would have a house on the property," she said.
City staff responded with a public-record breakdown: the county auditor’s file lists current real-estate taxes and delinquent amounts, delinquent special assessments, penalties, interest and collection charges, producing a total due of $20,004.72 (public record). Staff said that if the owner paid the full amount today, approximately $11,008.20 would be returned to the city to cover invested costs, while the remainder would be distributed to other taxing entities (school district, fire, county). Staff noted that some line items reflect delinquent taxes rather than only grass-cutting fees.
Thomas and Morris disputed whether all assessed charges were for grass cutting, said she had personally cut the grass in some periods and questioned whether staff photo-verification occurred. The transcript shows inconsistent spellings of the property address and inconsistent figures provided by different offices; Thomas asked who to contact for a final answer. Mayor Moore said City Manager Don Jones will continue the conversation after the meeting.
No formal council action on the assessments was taken at the meeting; staff agreed to follow up with the speakers.
Sherman Morris introduced the matter and said he has sought clarification for nearly a year without resolution. He said the bill is "pretty aggressive" and described being passed between staff without a final answer.
Sylvia Thomas, owner of Campbell Custom Homes, said assessments on the lot date back several years and that she had been given multiple, inconsistent figures (about $10,810; about $12,200; and over $20,000). She asked council to identify the exact amount and to consider waiving most fees so a preapproved family could proceed with construction within its budget. "If we have had this thing cleared up by now, we probably would have a house on the property," she said.
City staff responded with a public-record breakdown: the county auditor’s file lists current real-estate taxes and delinquent amounts, delinquent special assessments, penalties, interest and collection charges, producing a total due of $20,004.72 (public record). Staff said that if the owner paid the full amount today, approximately $11,008.20 would be returned to the city to cover invested costs, while the remainder would be distributed to other taxing entities (school district, fire, county). Staff noted that some line items reflect delinquent taxes rather than only grass-cutting fees.
Thomas and Morris disputed whether all assessed charges were for grass cutting, said she had personally cut the grass in some periods and questioned whether staff photo-verification occurred. The transcript shows inconsistent spellings of the property address and inconsistent figures provided by different offices; Thomas asked who to contact for a final answer. Mayor Moore said City Manager Don Jones will continue the conversation after the meeting.
No formal council action on the assessments was taken at the meeting; staff agreed to follow up with the speakers.
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