Amelia is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

and former

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in Pierce and Batavia townships in Clermont County,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The population was 12,575 at the 2020 census. Amelia incorporated in 1900. In November 2019, residents voted to dissolve the village over the imposition of a local

income tax An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...

. Amelia was by far the most populous village in state history to be dissolved and the first to be partitioned between two townships.

History

Amelia was not officially

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted. The area was originally called Milltown, later shortened to Milton. However, when a post office was established in 1836, there was already a Milton Post Office in the state. Various accounts state that the post office was named Amelia after Amelia Bowdoin, a well known and popular tollkeeper on the Ohio Turnpike (present-day State Route 125). Her home is now known as the Amelia Bowdoin House and stands at 94 West Main Street, across the street from its original location. However, there is no census record of an Amelia Bowdoin; Amelia may have been a corruption of the name of Armilla Bodin, the wife of a tollkeeper. Amelia was incorporated as a village on December 20, 1900. Amelia's population rose from 4,801 in the 2010 census to an estimated 5,009 in 2018. Under state law, the village would have been required to become a city after it posted a population over 5,000 in the 2020 census. In preparation for becoming a city, it adopted a charter in November 2017, though the change in status was not reflected in the

Ohio Secretary of State The secretary of state of Ohio is an elected statewide official in the state of Ohio. The Secretary of state (U.S. state government), secretary of state is responsible for overseeing elections in the state; registering business entities (corp ...

's roster of municipalities. Among other changes, becoming a city would have protected Amelia from dissolution.

Dissolution

In 2008, Amelia Village Council proposed a one-percent

to cover maintenance of Ohio State Route 125 within the village. In response to the proposal, Amelia Residents for Fiscal Responsibility gathered a

petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to an officia ...

to dissolve the village into Pierce and Batavia townships. The Clermont County Board of Elections initially rejected the petition after invalidating many of the signatures, but the group succeeded in adding the

initiative Popular initiative A popular initiative (also citizens' initiative) is a form of direct democracy by which a petition meeting certain hurdles can force a legal procedure on a proposition. In direct initiative, the proposition is put direct ...

to a May 5, 2009, special election. Amelia survived the election by a margin of 865 to 401. On February 5, 2018, the council unanimously adopted the proposed one-percent income tax in an emergency ordinance, without the usual three readings, to meet a deadline imposed by the Regional Income Tax Authority. The tax went into effect on July 1, 2018, making Amelia the last village in Clermont County to impose an income tax after cuts to the state's local government fund and one of more than 600 cities and villages in Ohio that tax income. Former councilmember Renee Gerber subsequently led a petition drive for dissolution. A June 29 council meeting became heated over the tax and dissolution campaign. On November 5, 2019, residents voted to dissolve the village by a margin of 843 to 479. Amelia was split between Pierce and Batavia townships along State Route 125. Newtonsville residents voted for dissolution the same day. Dissolution took effect at 10:00 AM on November 25, 2019, when the election results were certified. Gerber was elected to serve as the village's final mayor during a yearlong transition period under the oversight of the Ohio State Auditor, but upon the auditor's advice, Hart was retained to carry out the village's remaining administrative responsibilities. Amelia residents will continue to pay the one-percent income tax until at least $ in debt is paid off. Amelia was by far the most populous village in state history to be dissolved and the first to be partitioned between two townships.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the village had a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 4,801 people, 1,830 households, and 1,238 families living in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 1,974 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 95.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.6%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.9% of the population. There were 1,830 households, of which 41.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.3% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.15. The median age in the village was 30.5 years. 29.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 36.6% were from 25 to 44; 19.7% were from 45 to 64; and 5.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,752 people, 1,063 households, and 738 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 1,112 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.77%

, 0.58%

, 0.07% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.73% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.27% of the population. There were 1,063 households, out of which 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were

living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.10. In the village, the population was spread out, with 28.5% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 39.3% from 25 to 44, 13.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males. The median income for a household in the village was $44,900, and the median income for a family was $51,699. Males had a median income of $37,500 versus $26,295 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $17,772. About 5.0% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The former municipality is in the West Clermont Local School District. West Clermont High School is the public comprehensive high school. Amelia has a public library, a branch of the Clermont County Public Library.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Former villages in Clermont County, Ohio Former municipalities in Ohio 1900 establishments in Ohio Populated places established in 1900 2019 disestablishments in Ohio Populated places disestablished in 2019 Unincorporated communities in Clermont County, Ohio