Group Encourages Residents To Fight Sewer Districts
Posted
Daniel Riordan-driordan@timesuniononline.com
NORTH WEBSTER – A group calling itself Indiana Freedom held a two-hour informational meeting Tuesday night at the North Webster Community Center.
Citing local requests to come to the area, the group is fighting against rural sewer districts.
Dale Arnett, an attorney from Winchester, addressed the crowd Tuesday evening.
The crowd was overwhelmingly Amish. About half the crowd identified itself as being from Kosciusko County.
Arnett said the reasoning behind sewer districts was to raise revenues for the sewer districts and said that they strike at people’s rights.
Arnett said that Indiana Freedom has partnered with Indiana Farm Bureau.
A petition was passed around Tuesday night.
Arnett said he is attempting to get 100,000 signatures to present to the state legislature when they go back into session in the fall.
Pat Robertson, a resident of Carroll County, said she has been fighting a sewer district in her area for years.
Robertson said that regional sewer districts are a move toward developing rural areas, cited a United Nations plan, Agenda 21, and said they “rob all of us of our individual freedoms.”
"Leave us country folks alone," said Robertson. "We know how to take care of ourselves."
Arnett said a big reason for his group was to push legislation that would take power out of regional and rural sewer districts.
He said he was looking to get rid of the 300-foot rule which states that any property within 300 feet of a sewer system was expected to hook up to it.
Dr. Thomas Haney, a doctor who lives in the area, said when a study of Barbee Lake’s water quality was done the worst samples were taken and the amounts of E. coli found in there were tiny and that they couldn’t determine whether it was human E. coli or that of an animal.
“This isn't a public health issue,” said Haney.
Haney also struck at the USDA which is giving low-interest loans to sewer districts.
“It undermines our local banks,” said Haney.
“It’s not about water quality,” said Haney. “It’s about money.”
Haney also said that there are too many conflicts of interest for people involved with local sewer projects.
“This is almost becoming like the Dukes of Hazard and Boss Hog,” said Haney.
State Reps. Dave Wolkins and Rebecca Kubacki were at Tuesday night’s meeting.
While neither took a stand on local sewer districts, both encouraged residents to remain vigilant and proactive.
Wolkins did say that he felt that some regional sewer districts in the state were a good idea.
Kubacki also told those in attendance to get ahold of not only their state reps but also state congressmen and senators.
The large amount of amish in the crowd is a result of their opposition to being forced onto sewer systems when they have their own way of disposing of waste.
While using the term socialism to describe rural sewer systems, Arnett said this movement was non-partisan.
Arnett also said he plans to have his group meet again in Kosciusko County.
