July 2026

Coffee with Council: A note from Mayor Scott Runck

Welcome to the first Coffee with Council!

This blog is a simple idea.  Most of the time, the only way residents hear from their local government is through a formal notice, a meeting agenda, or a line item in a budget. While all of those are important, none of that  is personal . This page is our attempt at being personal - being real. It is a place where the Mayor, Council, and Village leadership can sit down, in plain language, and share with you about what we are working on, what is coming next, and the thinking behind the decisions we make on your behalf.

This is not a press release - just straight talk from the people you elected and the people who serve this Village every day.

Sharing information in this way is important to me because it is how I have always been.  I see people on the street and we talk - person-to-person, I see people at a restaurant or in a business and we share information.  This personal sharing of information matters to me because Batavia is not just ANY town. We are the heart of Clermont County.  We, the residents including the village elected officials, care for each other and want the best for our beloved village.  We are the county seat of Clermont County, a community platted in 1814 that has spent more than two centuries growing up along the East Fork of the Little Miami River. That history is something to be proud of. But a village is not a museum. It is a living place, and keeping it strong takes steady work and an honest relationship between the people who live here and the people who serve it. This page is part of keeping that relationship honest.

  One thing I am proud of is the leadership role the current council has assumed.  Since I have been in office, I have tried get the council to engage in the decisions the village makes.  They are the legislative body.  Because this council has embraced that role, some exciting things have taken place.  The relationship between the school and the village has greatly improved - we have worked together to create a park on Broadway as well as freeing up money for the school due to the village committing to pay for the resource officers.  Your council did that.  The council is tirelessly working on ways to improve life for the residents.  

I encourage residents to come to Council meetings to learn what is happening in our Village. If you are unable to attend in person, please watch our live feed on our Youtube channel (link is on our website).  We meet on the second and fourth Mondays of the month, and the door is open to everyone.  The Village Council minutes are available online (a month behind due to approval) and please read the blogs when they come out. When you have a question or a concern, bring it straight to us. The fastest way to a real and honest answer has always been a direct one.

I am grateful to serve this community, and I am glad you are here. There is a lot ahead for Batavia, and I would like to walk through it together with you.

Thank you. 

C. Scott Runck