2025_Clermont_LWV_Positions
Clermont Senior Services
The League of Women Voters Clermont County supports Clermont Senior Services and its mission to enable older adults to remain healthy, active and independent as long as possible. Funding for these services should come from a variety of sources including county government-funded levies, organizations such as United Way and the Council on Aging, foundations and participant donations. Concurrence on position reached at March 24 general meeting. Position adopted May 1998. Further amended and adopted by concurrence at the Feb. 20, 2007. Reviewed June 2020. Revised 2025
Children’s Services
The League of Women Voters Clermont County supports a children’s services system to protect and care for the neglected, abused or dependent child, as mandated by state law, and to provide care and treatment for the juvenile substance abuser and emotionally disturbed child, as mandated by state law and to provide care and treatment for the juvenile substance abuser and emotionally disturbed child. The League supports measures to promote security and stability for the child realizing that the health and safety of the child is the primary concern. The League supports measures to provide adequate funding for children through a creative mix of county, state and federal monies. The League supports a Children's Protective Services system to protect and care for the neglected, abused and dependent children of Clermont County as mandated by state and federal law. Further, the League supports measures to promote the security and stability for children recognizing that the health and safety of children is a primary concern. The League supports efforts that promote and provide adequate funding for children with federal, state and local monies. Position adopted Oct. 1984. Amended May 1999. Revised May 16, 2017. Reviewed June 10th, 2020.
Clermont County Public Library
Freedom of access to ideas and materials is the cornerstone of the public library system and the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Public libraries have a long history of cultivating strong civic communities. These critical institutions offer public spaces for community members to access trusted information and engage in discourse that bridges political divides. Libraries are a powerful resource for promoting knowledge, learning, and community. The League supports the Clermont County Public Library. The library’s main priorities should include a quantity of reading material for people of all ages; adequate, up-to-date reference material, information access, electronic resources; and qualified personnel. The library should provide a balanced collection to meet the needs of the county’s residents and programming for all ages, enabling the library to be a community hub. It should strive to retain the standards of the American Library Association and Ohio Library Council. The League supports branch facilities for each community. Funding for the Clermont County Public Library should include: 1) state budget appropriations, 2) local operating levies, 3) other sources of income. The League supports an open library in which the choice of reading material meets the needs of diverse people in the county. Freedom of access to ideas and materials is the cornerstone of the public library system and the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The League recognizes that it is not the responsibility of the library or its staff to monitor its clients’ values. The Clermont County Public Library board should uphold this open access as a major responsibility of the system. The Clermont County Library board should continue to uphold and implement the Library Bill of Rights of the American Library Association. Adopted 1983. Revised 1995, 2009, 2014. Reviewed 2020. Revised 2025
Distribution of Local Government Funds
The League recognizes the purpose of state, county and local government entities is to provide the services needed and expected by their residents and communities. The League asserts that the local government, closest to the residents and community it serves, is uniquely capable of recognizing the needs and the best way to serve their local community of residents. Therefore, the League supports having taxes collected by the state from its residents shared with the county and local government entities in sums that adequately provide the services needed by local residents and communities. The League supports having the distribution formula of the Local Government Fund developed by Clermont County officials. The League appreciates and supports the efforts at efficiency and collaboration undertaken by the county and local governments and encourages recognition of these efforts by the state. Adopted 2007. Revised 2014. Revised May 16, 2017. Reviewed June 10th, 2020.
Mental Health
The League supports quality, affordable health care for all county residents, which includes access to a basic level of care. This care must include mental health and substance use disorder treatment services for all who need it and their caregivers. It also must include prevention and early intervention services, primarily directed at children and adolescents, in order to address mental health and emotional issues as soon as possible and to educate youth on the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse. The League supports the Clermont County Mental Health and Recovery Board, the local authority responsible for planning, monitoring, evaluating and funding mental health and substance abuse services in Clermont County. The board’s main priorities should include: A range of services for people of all ages; adequate, up-to-date information on mental illness and substance abuse, as well as access for residents to this information and about available resources in the county; quality services that result in positive outcomes for individuals served; and sufficient, qualified personnel to provide the services to meet the needs of the county’s residents. Funding for the Mental Health and Recovery Board should include: 1) state budget appropriations, 2) federal block grant allocations, 3) local operating levy, 4) federal, state and foundation grants and, 5) other sources of income. The League will support programs and policies to expand the supply of affordable services. The League has supported the mental health levy since its first appearance on the ballot in 1980 and will continue its support for local property tax funding for mental health and substance abuse services. The LWVCC also will support continued implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including Medicaid Expansion in Ohio, so that as many people as possible have health care and the resources to obtain needed services. Adopted 2014.Reviewed June 10th, 2020.
Distribution of Information by County Government Entities
The League believes all governmental entities in Clermont County have a higher
responsibility to their constituents than the minimum legal requirements for disseminating information. The reasons are, first, the fragmented nature of the county and the vast number of governmental jurisdictions affecting citizens of the county, and second, the lack of daily media coverage of the county’s various governmental activities. The League believes that, at a minimum, each of these entities should strive
- to make available to the public an easily accessible calendar of all meetings and the agenda for such meetings and
- to make the minutes of all meetings equally accessible.
This information should be provided to the public as soon as possible, striving to give notice of meetings and contents of the agenda at the earliest possible time. In providing this information to as many citizens as possible, governmental entities need to take advantage of as many available types of media as possible. Position adopted May 22, 2001. Reviewed June 10th, 2020.