01/28/2026
Trustee Lisa Allen served as chairperson of the Board of Trustees for Goshen Township throughout 2025. Last night she delivered the State of the Township address:
Good evening. It is my honor to present the 2026 State of the Township address on behalf of the Board of Trustees and the Fiscal Officer. Tonight I will share highlights from 2025, how we responsibly managed township resources, and the priorities that will guide our work as we move forward into 2026.
Public safety remains our top priority. In 2025 our Fire and EMS department responded to more than 3,300 calls. We ordered and purchased new apparatus and support vehicles, including a replacement ambulance and a 75 foot quint, a versatile fire truck that combines pumping and aerial capabilities. Operational changes reduced fire and EMS overtime by more than $160,000 while maintaining service levels. The men and women of the department serve with courage and compassion, and their steady commitment is among the foundations of our community’s safety.
Our police department continued to deliver professional, community focused policing. In 2025 the department recorded more than 14,000 call records and maintained strong enforcement and public safety work. Major case investigations included a severe child abuse case by a babysitter that resulted in felony indictments, a fatal impaired driving crash that resulted in a vehicle homicide charge, and other high priority matters that required careful investigation and successful prosecution. These outcomes reflect thorough investigations and consistent, professional police work that keeps our community safe.
Our police, fire, and EMS teams invested heavily in readiness. Together they completed more than 6,000 hours of training, a commitment that keeps skills sharp and judgment steady as they protect our residents and safeguard community well‑being.
Our Service Department, a hardworking and skilled team, completed pothole repairs using 12.5 tons of hot mix asphalt, responded to 13 snow events that required using nearly 800 tons of salt while plowing more than 4,700 miles. We added and replaced equipment to increase capacity and efficiency, including a skid steer, a front loader, and a wheel loader to improve salt loading. We also converted a part time service worker to full time, growing the service department to help keep up with the demands of our growing community. Our crews also facilitated 59 funerals with professionalism and care.
We continued to make smart, strategic investments that keep our roads safe and our crews efficient. Goshen Township secured more than $400,000 in funding from the Ohio Public Works Commission, with $111,000 in local funds, to pave 3.66 miles on Gibson Road and Belfast Road, a project that delivers major roadway improvements while minimizing the township local share.
On planning and zoning we acted deliberately to guide growth and protect community character. The Board of Trustees adopted a temporary moratorium on large scale, high density residential developments that remains in effect until late April, giving us time to better ensure proposals align with community values and updated planning objectives. During the moratorium we partnered with Clermont County to develop an updated Land Use Plan, which we expect to complete before the moratorium ends. We promoted a staff member to full time Planning and Zoning Director to strengthen in house capacity, and our Zoning Department continued to issue permits quickly while managing a high volume of permitting and property maintenance matters.
Cleanup began at the illegal SR 28 Dump Site, addressing long standing blight and health concerns. That work, carried out in partnership with Clermont County and the State of Ohio, will remove hazards and return the site to safe, productive use.
Our administrative team delivered meaningful savings and improved service. Excluding Station 18 construction funds, unencumbered funds grew by $1.3 million, a result that demonstrates conservative spending and the deliberate building of reserves to delay levy needs and to fund grant matches. We reduced payroll service costs, and our liability insurance renewal was effectively flat compared with a potential increase of more than $30,000. Human Resources is now 50 percent digital, making retirement payments and other records easier to access and audit. We earned nearly $150,000 in interest on township funds, received a Bureau of Workers' Compensation rebate of more than $2,000, renewed contracts that reduced operating costs, recovered nearly $1,000 in unclaimed state funds, and modernized payments so residents can now pay township, zoning, and cemetery fees with credit and debit cards.
Beyond the Ohio Public Works Commission paving award, grants remain an important way we stretch taxpayer dollars. Each year we rely on grants to stretch taxpayer dollars; in 2025, in addition to the large paving grant, additional grants we received include a Duke Energy grant to replace a weather siren and an ODOT safety grant for new curve and intersection signage. We also secured traffic safety funding to support extra police patrols and a grant to modernize firefighter pagers and radios. Two additional applications remain under review, thanks to steady coordination by staff, including our part‑time grants coordinator.
Community life in Goshen remains strong because of partnerships and everyday effort. We partnered with the Clermont County Park District to host Trunk or Treat at Stagge Marr Park, our Memorial Day parade brought neighbors together to honor those who served, and we organized a community clean up day to provide a means for residents to dispose of unwanted items. We held a strategic planning workshop, and the updated five year strategic plan will be completed in 2026 and guide our priorities for the coming years.
None of these highlights happens by accident. They are the result of teamwork, the Board of Trustees and the Fiscal Officer working together with department heads and their staff, and the many residents who take pride in our community. Thank you to everyone who serves and supports Goshen Township; your dedication makes these results possible.
We will continue to plan carefully, spend wisely, and act boldly when necessary. Our motto is “Love where you live,” and together we are making that motto real.
Sincerely,
Lisa Allen
Chair of the Board of Trustees, 2025
