BATAVIA TOWNSHIP, Oh. — Voters in Batavia Township chose not to approve a levy that would create a new fire department under the township's authority.
Nearly 500 more residents (2,476) voted against the levy than for it (1,983), according to the Clermont County Board of Elections' unofficial results posted Tuesday night.
A Central Joint Fire-EMS District (CJFED) levy was put on the ballot in November. That levy failed by fewer than 20 votes.
After that levy failed, the township put a fire levy on the ballot. The levy would have dissolved the Central Joint Fire-EMS District, which serves the township and the Village of Batavia.
Township officials explained their reasons for putting the levy on the ballot in a press release on Nov. 20, 2025. The press release wrote in part:
"Due to economic development incentives, including the County Tax Incentive Financing (TIF) and Batavia Village’s Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) incentives, funding for CJFED services has been reduced. This has put stress on the district's funding and necessitated the recent levy on the November 2025 ballot, which failed.
The Trustees instructed staff to begin evaluating a new levy for services for the proposed Batavia Township Fire Department. Upon passage, the township would have its own Fire Department and withdraw from the current CJFED District. The Township’s approach would ensure that services remain consistent with current levels while providing funding to support future growth, including the construction of new fire stations within the township. The Trustees will oversee a seamless transfer of emergency services for Township Residents. Information regarding the proposed levy and the new fire department will be released in the upcoming months."
“Some people are gonna be happy, some people ain’t," Batavia Township resident Bill Albright said.
WATCH: Batavia Township residents react to the levy being rejected
Albright has been one of the loudest opponents against the levy, appearing at meetings and posting on social media.
“Well, last time it was 17 votes, this time it was 500, do better," Albright said, "This deal was worse than last year's deal."
On Wednesday morning, I also spoke with township residents who said they voted for the levy and were disappointed with the outcome.
“I think we need more services, not less," Larry Conley said.
"I was disappointed, but I wasn’t surprised. Everybody is talking about state taxes, doing away with state taxes, money is tight these days," said Larry Conley's wife, Kathy Conley.
Back in March, I sat down with township leaders, including fiscal officer Jennifer Haley, to ask why they felt the levy was necessary.
“There was a disparity in funding, with the township being 93% of the valuation that funds the district, and 7% coming from the village," Haley said.
The township's fiscal officer said that as the population has grown, so has the burden put on first responders.
“Since the district came into business in 2002, we’ve grown by 71% in our call volume," Haley said.
In the lead-up to Election Day, Batavia Township released information to residents promoting the levy. Also included in a township presentation was what officials say will happen if voters reject the levy. You can see the graph below:
I went to the township's community center and spoke with Township Administrator Karen Swartz. Swartz chose not to speak on camera but did tell me that trustees would address the failed levy vote in Wednesday night's trustee meeting.
I also reached out to CJFED Chief Roy Short, who told me that the fire district's next meeting is on May 18. The fire department's website said that the meeting starts at 5 p.m.
Village of Batavia Administrator Chip Stewart told me the village will continue to weigh its options as the situation progresses.
