A referendum petition being circulated in Marysville is having an impact 10 miles west of the city.
North Lewisburg Administrator Todd Freyhof told village council Friday night that delay in utility work caused by the potential referendum has made Marysville a less viable partner for sewer regionalization.
The village is being urged by the Ohio EPA to combine its sewer operations with a larger processing facility in the area. Essentially, North Lewisburg’s sewage plant would convert into a pump station and the waste would be processed elsewhere, because upgrading the facility would not be cost effective.
The two viable options in the area are Marysville and a plant in Logan County that has not yet been built.
Because the closest tie-in to the Logan County lines was 3.5 miles away from the village making it a more cost effective option compared to Marysville which is much farther. Extending lines to Logan County would cost about $4 million, with Marysville being an additional $2 million.
Cost to residents has been a big determinant, according to Freyhof, so when Logan County Commissioners responded that they would charge $50.50 per household per month to process sewage, North Lewisburg officials contacted Marysville. Village residents currently pay $34.25 per month for sewer services.
Working in the village’s favor was the fact that Marysville Council had approved the annexation of land west along Route 245 of city for a 635-home development. This meant the city would extend lines down Route 245 toward the village, reducing the distance for the potential connection. The annexation would have also resulted in the city bearing the expense of tunneling utility lines under U.S. 33, which is a great expense according to Freyhof.
But earlier in December, the future of the development was put in jeopardy. A group of residents in Marysville announced their attention to gain signatures for a petition to put a referendum regarding the annexation on the November ballot.
The group has reportedly gathered the necessary signatures to put the issue on the ballot, meaning the development will be in limbo for at least a year. According to Freyhof, the EPA is not willing to wait that long for a decision on North Lewisburg’s regionalization plan.
Freyhof said with the costs associated with the additional line extension, Marysville’s offer equated to $67 per customer for sewage treatment.
Freyhof said this has led him to revisit the offer from Logan County. The previous $50.50 offer was for a base usage of 6,000 gallons per month. The administrator said 75% of North Lewisburg’s households use less than 3,000 per month so he intends to try to negotiate a base rate of $25.25 based on that usage.
Freyhoff said EPA officials are growing impatient with the lack of progress in the regionalization plan and have mentioned forthcoming fines.
“I explained that we’re at the mercy of Logan County,” Freyhof said. “We’re a guest in their house.”
In other business, council:
-Appointed Amanda Warner to fill the council seat vacated by Ted Murphy when he moved into the position of mayor.
-Held the first public hearing with Affordable Gas and Electric concerning the village’s recently approved electricity aggregation plan that will allow village residents to take part in a program to purchase power based on rates negotiated on behalf of a conglomerate of municipalities. Residents have the ability to opt out of the program.
-Approved the 2023 annual budget.
-Approved the new rate for treating sewage coming from the village of Woodstock. The old rate hadn’t been increased from $14 per customer in many years and will now be $35 per customer.
-Upgraded the village ordinances regarding tap-in fees in the village. Tap-in fees have been removed and the consumer is now responsible for all expenses of tapping into the village lines.
-Learned that the North Lewisburg Library is seeking to modify its agreement with the village in regard to the village-owned building. Library officials would like the village to take over more of a landlord status for the building being responsible for the building as well as maintenance for such items as HVAC, lighting and electric. Currently the village maintains the exterior of the building while the library handles interior repairs. The library leases the building at 161 Winder Street for $9,600 per year.
-Learned that the village will employ a third party at $40 per hour, for 12-16 hours of work to conducted the village’s door-to-door low-to-moderate income study.
-Approve end-of-year compensation, ranging from $250-500, for seven village employees.