County Council OK’s New Sewer District Petition
December 14, 2018 at 6:13 p.m.
County Council OK’s New Sewer District Petition
By Mark [email protected]
Opponents of the project submitted a list of people who wanted to speak at Thursday night's council meeting, but since the public had already been given an chance to speak at a hearing in September and numerous county meetings, council President Sue Ann Mitchell opted not to take any comments.
Rick Couse, a leading opponent of the proposal, still told the council he felt the majority of people in the district were opposed to the sewer, and urged the council to stop the progress of the proposal right then and there.
He said, "You prayed at the beginning of this meeting you would do the right thing for the county. This is the wrong thing for the county, and deep down I think you know it."
As the council entertained a motion to approve, Couse said, "Vote your conscience."
The comments came after Ken Jones, of engineering firm Jones Petrie Rafinski, and Jeff Rowe, of Umbaugh and Associates, presented their findings. The duo said many of the same things they did at the county commissioners meeting Tuesday: There are 1,983 possible connections, the cost of disabling an existing septic would be in the $600 to $900 range, and depending on options down the line, each household can expect a sewer bill to be between $98 and $108 monthly.
The estimated overall cost of the project is between $37.5 million and $39.5 million, down from the estimates of $40 million to $42 million presented at the September public hearing in North Webster.
Mitchell abstained because she is a member of the Lakeland Regional Sewer District board, and one option is to pump wastewater to that entity for treatment. The other two options in the proposal is to pump waste to the City of Warsaw's treatment plant or to build a new treatment facility.
County attorney Chad Miner will file the petition with IDEM, and at some point in the next six months that state agency will hold another hearing. Opponents, primarily in the Chapman Lake area, plan to present IDEM officials with a petition filled with verified signatures of homeowners opposed to the sewer district. They would need 51 percent, or 1,012 signatures, to succeed.
In another matter, council members learned the county got a $6 million TRAX?grant from Indiana Department of Transportation to extend CR 1300N from Old 15 to Ind. 15 on the north side of Milford. The project will include a bridge over the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks, and rerouting North Main Street on the west side of the tracks.
County Highway Supervisor Scott Tilden said engineering could begin next year, with right-of-way acquisition starting in 2020 and construction in 2022.
Tilden also got council approval to seek a grant for a bridge replacement project on CR 200S over Walnut Creek. If the grant is received, preliminary engineering work could begin as early as 2019, with ground breaking expected in 2024.
The council also discussed the purchase of a building to house the county coroner’s office. Coroner Tony Ciriello said right now, the county can store a body in a refrigerated facility at a local hospital, but only for eight hours and on a space-available basis.
Having a separate office would allow Ciriello and his staff to get toxicology and other tests done in a more timely manner, and handle its affairs “with dignity and respect,” he said.
Council member Doug Heinisch said he would have liked to seen more cost estimates for renovations before approving such a measure. Administrator Marsha McSherry assured Heinisch such estimates had been completed before making an offer on the property the county is eyeing. The address of the property is a closely guarded secret, to keep the price from going up.
In other business, the council:
• Authorized Judge David Cates to seek a grant for a second year of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative.
• Approved extradition expenses for the sherriff’s department totaling $6,514.66 and the transfer of $4,000 of Department of Natural Resources grant money.
• Permitted the prosecutor’s office to transfer $7,200 from one account to another. This will cover the expenses of a retiring employee’s unused benefits and the cost of training a replacement.
• Allowed the transfer of $10,000 into an office equipment account for community corrections. The department is adding a pair of officers.
• Heard a new abatement request from Lake City Heat Treating Corp. for about $5 million in new equipment. It was the first step in the abatement process.
• Ratified a year-end transfer resolution that will ensure all county accounts end the year “in the black.”
• Signed an interlocal agreement with Kosciusko County Convention, Recreation and Visitor’s Bureau that will permit the county auditor to serve as the controller for the group.
• Approved appointments to several county boards.
The council also said its farewells to outgoing sheriff Rocky Goshert and retiring council member Tom Anglin. Anglin had stepped down in 2012 but returned in October 2015 to fill out the term of Jim Moyer, who joined the county surveyor’s office.
Anglin served on the county council for a total of 41 years.
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Opponents of the project submitted a list of people who wanted to speak at Thursday night's council meeting, but since the public had already been given an chance to speak at a hearing in September and numerous county meetings, council President Sue Ann Mitchell opted not to take any comments.
Rick Couse, a leading opponent of the proposal, still told the council he felt the majority of people in the district were opposed to the sewer, and urged the council to stop the progress of the proposal right then and there.
He said, "You prayed at the beginning of this meeting you would do the right thing for the county. This is the wrong thing for the county, and deep down I think you know it."
As the council entertained a motion to approve, Couse said, "Vote your conscience."
The comments came after Ken Jones, of engineering firm Jones Petrie Rafinski, and Jeff Rowe, of Umbaugh and Associates, presented their findings. The duo said many of the same things they did at the county commissioners meeting Tuesday: There are 1,983 possible connections, the cost of disabling an existing septic would be in the $600 to $900 range, and depending on options down the line, each household can expect a sewer bill to be between $98 and $108 monthly.
The estimated overall cost of the project is between $37.5 million and $39.5 million, down from the estimates of $40 million to $42 million presented at the September public hearing in North Webster.
Mitchell abstained because she is a member of the Lakeland Regional Sewer District board, and one option is to pump wastewater to that entity for treatment. The other two options in the proposal is to pump waste to the City of Warsaw's treatment plant or to build a new treatment facility.
County attorney Chad Miner will file the petition with IDEM, and at some point in the next six months that state agency will hold another hearing. Opponents, primarily in the Chapman Lake area, plan to present IDEM officials with a petition filled with verified signatures of homeowners opposed to the sewer district. They would need 51 percent, or 1,012 signatures, to succeed.
In another matter, council members learned the county got a $6 million TRAX?grant from Indiana Department of Transportation to extend CR 1300N from Old 15 to Ind. 15 on the north side of Milford. The project will include a bridge over the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks, and rerouting North Main Street on the west side of the tracks.
County Highway Supervisor Scott Tilden said engineering could begin next year, with right-of-way acquisition starting in 2020 and construction in 2022.
Tilden also got council approval to seek a grant for a bridge replacement project on CR 200S over Walnut Creek. If the grant is received, preliminary engineering work could begin as early as 2019, with ground breaking expected in 2024.
The council also discussed the purchase of a building to house the county coroner’s office. Coroner Tony Ciriello said right now, the county can store a body in a refrigerated facility at a local hospital, but only for eight hours and on a space-available basis.
Having a separate office would allow Ciriello and his staff to get toxicology and other tests done in a more timely manner, and handle its affairs “with dignity and respect,” he said.
Council member Doug Heinisch said he would have liked to seen more cost estimates for renovations before approving such a measure. Administrator Marsha McSherry assured Heinisch such estimates had been completed before making an offer on the property the county is eyeing. The address of the property is a closely guarded secret, to keep the price from going up.
In other business, the council:
• Authorized Judge David Cates to seek a grant for a second year of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative.
• Approved extradition expenses for the sherriff’s department totaling $6,514.66 and the transfer of $4,000 of Department of Natural Resources grant money.
• Permitted the prosecutor’s office to transfer $7,200 from one account to another. This will cover the expenses of a retiring employee’s unused benefits and the cost of training a replacement.
• Allowed the transfer of $10,000 into an office equipment account for community corrections. The department is adding a pair of officers.
• Heard a new abatement request from Lake City Heat Treating Corp. for about $5 million in new equipment. It was the first step in the abatement process.
• Ratified a year-end transfer resolution that will ensure all county accounts end the year “in the black.”
• Signed an interlocal agreement with Kosciusko County Convention, Recreation and Visitor’s Bureau that will permit the county auditor to serve as the controller for the group.
• Approved appointments to several county boards.
The council also said its farewells to outgoing sheriff Rocky Goshert and retiring council member Tom Anglin. Anglin had stepped down in 2012 but returned in October 2015 to fill out the term of Jim Moyer, who joined the county surveyor’s office.
Anglin served on the county council for a total of 41 years.
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