SEWAGE QUAGMIRE … North Munson Road, seen here at its intersection with Dodge Street, is the focus of a sewer extension and road rehabilitation project that has drawn the ire of residents who may be forced to abandon their functioning septic systems as a result. The work extends from the road’s intersection with Dodge Street south to Airport Highway.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
An upcoming project to extend sewer service along North Munson Road that could force some residents to abandon functioning and even new septic systems while effectively doubling their water bill drew angry comments during a public hearing at Monday’s Swanton Village Council meeting.
The project came about, according to Mayor Neil Toeppe, when residents of North Munson Road asked for the road to be repaired a handful of years ago.
As the village prepared for that work, the idea of extending the sanitary sewer came about in order to minimize the costs of the work, rather than waiting until it was a greater need a few years down the line and tearing up the road that had just been rebuilt.
However, according to Village Administrator Shannon Shulters, the Fulton County Health Department is mandating any homes within 200 feet of the new sewer main must connect to it and have their septic system filled in or removed at their own cost.
Among those residents who showed up to the hearing to air their grievances on the matter were RJ and Sandy Wisniewski, who said they just spent $15,000 to install a new septic system in the last several years.
They said they would be willing to tie into the sewer line in 20 years or so, when the septic system got closer to the end of its life.
Council members directed the Wisniewskis and all other North Munson Road residents opposed to the mandate to contact the health department directly, and Toeppe said the council would support those appeals.
Another consequence of the tie-in mandate would be residents having to pay sewer fees, which could roughly double what they are already paying for water once added.
The project has not yet gone out to bid or been sent to the EPA for approval, and construction is not likely to begin until at least two months after it goes to bid.
Toeppe said there will be at least one more public hearing on the project so residents can review the engineering designs.
2024 PERMANENT BUDGET
After having previously passed a temporary 2024 budget in December, council members approved the final budget with only a few changes.
The changes were mostly internal and all related to revenue, according to Finance Director Holden Benfield, and included changing the source of certain funding from the general fund to the street fund.
The total budget comes to $15.93 million, including roughly $2.3 million in internal transfers and $3 million in grant funding for the Water Resource Reclamation Facility (WRRF) headworks project.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Shulters reported that she met with Fulton County Economic Development Corporation (FCEDC) Executive Director Matt Gilroy and Thomas Construction and Remodeling owner Seth Thomas regarding senior living and housing in the village, while Toeppe reported Gilroy will be speaking at the next FCEDC meeting on the Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) program and tax increment financing (TIF) districts.
Gilroy spoke on CRAs and TIFs at last week’s meeting of the Delta Village Council. The Delta council is considering altering an existing CRA there and instituting a TIF district to bolster development there while clawing back tax dollars currently being lost via 10-year, 100 percent tax exemptions on developments in the CRA.
OTHER BUSINESS
The council authorized Shulters to enter into an agreement with the Fulton County Board of Commissioners and the Fulton County Sheriff’s 911 plan.
The council approved the resignations of part-time Swanton Police Department Patrol Officer Edward Merckel as well as Daniel Johnson, a full-time employee of the Swanton Fire & Rescue Division.
The council approved the hiring of Hilary Huffman as a full-time police department secretary and dispatcher at an hourly rate of $20.67.
Benfield reported the damage caused to a street sweeper when it caught fire will be covered by insurance, so rather than having to replace the unit or cover all the repairs, the village will only have to cover a $250 deductible.
The council ended the public portion of the meeting by going into executive session for the purpose of “preparing for, conducting, or reviewing negotiating sessions with any private, for-profit investment fund for the purpose of selecting a program administrator and entering into an agreement under section 150.05 of the [Ohio] Revised Code.” No action was expected as a result of the session.
The next meeting of the Swanton Village Council will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 25.