14th annual Mt. Moriah Cemetery Lantern Lighting Ceremony

September 17 will be the 14th annual Mt. Moriah Cemetery Lantern Lighting Ceremony from 5 PM to 7:30 PM. This free event promises to be a unique evening of beauty and remembrance for the entire community. For more information, visit the Union Township website or call the cemetery office at 513-752-1773.

End of summer celebration

On September 24, Union Township will once again team up with Jungle Jim’s and Crossroads Church to bring you a family-oriented end-of-summer celebration.

Beginning at 4:30 PM, a Touch-the-Truck event will be in the parking lots of Crossroads Church and Jungle Jim’s. Trucks from Union Township Police, Fire, and the Services Department will be there. Additionally, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Clermont Sheriff, and Air Care will be participating in the event.

Starting at 6:00 PM, families will be able to explore the businesses in the area and enjoy some entertainment. For example, RJ Cinema is planning on having a live band. Additionally, Crossroads Church will have some family entertainment, discounted funnel cakes, and other goodies.

The evening will close with the Union Township Board of Trustees sponsoring a fireworks show beginning at about 8:30 PM. Rozzi’s will shoot them off from the front parking lot of the UT Civic Center. Aicholtz Road will be temporarily closed to traffic.

Natural gas aggregation

Union Township has brought back aggregation for Duke Energy gas customers. Each customer’s bill has two components. The part that never changes is distribution and billing. Duke owns and maintains the pipes and infrastructure. Regardless of supplier, they are also responsible for billing.

Multiple companies, including Duke, sell the gas that goes into the pipes. Duke customers get to choose among many gas suppliers. That is why utility customers could have a company, in addition to Duke, listed on the gas portion of their bill. (Same is true of electric.)

Back in 2015, the voters in Union Township approved an “opt-out” aggregation program. Many Duke customers in Union Township have the opportunity to either opt out of the aggregation offer or do nothing and take the deal.

I am one of the many Duke customers who did not get an aggregation offer because I’m currently under contract with a gas supplier. (That’s good for me because rates have been rapidly increasing.) The offered aggregation rate is called the gas cost recovery (GCR) rate. It is fixed at $0.839 per 100 cubic feet (CCF) for 24 months with no early termination fee. That means you can cancel at any time with no penalty. The variable Duke GCR rate is currently $1.1554 per CCF. My advice is to either allow the aggregation offer to go into effect or shop for a more suitable plan at www.EnergyChoice.Ohio.gov. Based on the current market, the aggregation offer is a good deal. The rate is competitive, fixed for two years, and you can cancel at any time without a penalty.

Regarding electric, the rates are currently too volatile for aggregation. But otherwise, the same logic described above also applies to your electric service. Duke’s generation supply rate is competitive in the current market. That’s who I use, but you might find a more suitable deal at www.EnergyChoice.Ohio.gov.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 513-753-6440. I’ll try to explain what I know or refer you to a more knowledgeable source.

New businesses in Union Township

Sportsman’s Warehouse is now open for business. It is located in the old Stein Mart building in the shopping center across from Jungle Jim’s. The store is well stocked for hunters, fishermen, hikers, and the like.

Adams Heating and Cooling has relocated to Nine Mile Road in Tobasco. They are a big supplier of parts and equipment for our area.

Dragon City has great Chinese cuisine and is located in the Cherry Grove Shopping Plaza. If you like it hot, the dragon can breathe some fire.

Farmer’s Market

Although the summer concert series has come to an end for this year, the Farmers Market continues to be at the Union Township Civic Center. It is in the front parking lot and is from 4 PM to 7 PM every Friday through October 28. Weekly, vendors bring an increasing amount of produce, bakery goods (some gluten-free), honey, jams, real maple syrup and more.

Union Township Board of Trustees

The Union Township Board of Trustees meets on the second Tuesday of every month at 6 PM. At these meetings, I’ve done financial presentations on debt, property tax distributions, and fiscal reviews. The meeting videos as well as our event calendars are online.

Chairman Logue, Vice Chairman Dills, and I are accessible and approachable. That is also true of Fiscal Officer Ron Campbell, Administrator Susan Ayers, and our staff. If you need anything or just want to chat, call me at home at 513-753-6440. Or call 513-752-1741 to speak with any staff member at the Civic Center.

John Becker has been a Union Township Trustee since January 1, 2022. He previously served as a State Representative from 2013 – 2020 until forced out by term limits.