Commissioners approve settlement with Duke Energy, engineer projects, UC statue exception and $17.4M in JFS renewals

The Hamilton County Board of Commissioners approved several administrative and capital items at its April 2 meeting.

Settlement with Duke Energy: The board authorized the County Administrator to enter a settlement agreement with Duke Energy regarding Sutton Road in Anderson Township, for receipt of $1.775 million. Administration said commissioners had been briefed and recommended approval; the motion to adopt the resolution passed unanimously.

Engineer resolutions and project funding: The county Engineer presented four resolutions for approval. Two line- and thermoplastic-striping programs will be put out to bid with engineer estimates of approximately $400,000 (thermoplastic/epoxy) and $368,000 (line striping) from permissive auto and road-and-bridge funds. The board also approved a joint agreement with the City of Harrison to include resurfacing of Campbell Road and Edgewood Road in a resurfacing package, with a reimbursement to the county of $277,211. The board authorized acquisition of a permanent standard highway easement needed for the Regional Safety Complex and gun-range project at 6960 Blue Rock Road; the transcript listed an unclear easement amount and staff said funding would come from the general fund.

MSD easement exception for UC statue: The board granted an exception to Section 206 of the county's rules and regulations to allow the University of Cincinnati to place a large bronze Bearcat statue and pedestal over a 42-inch combined sewer at Commons Way and West University Avenue, contingent on an agreement that UC will be responsible for any resulting damage to the sewer. Commissioners noted the work to design a foundation that avoids undue load on the sewer and approved the exception unanimously.

Appointments and consent agenda: By-leave item one appointed Nathan Rosenberger to the Hamilton County Board of Zoning Appeals. The consent agenda (items 6 630) passed unanimously and included a $792,100 budget adjustment tied in part to the pavement projects and a cluster of Job and Family Services renewals and single-source renewals totaling roughly $17.42 million in the listed items. Commissioners asked staff to ensure RFPs for services are published so new providers can compete for contracts.

All motions on these items passed unanimously (Commissioners Summerow Dumas, Reece and Driehaus voting yes). The administration said it would supply follow-up details on budget and contract timing when available.