Mount Vernon City Council and Clinton Township are considering the abolition of the Clinton Township Water & Sewer District to eliminate the unelected body they say has outlived its usefulness, according to a council committee meeting on June 8.
"How this would work would be the abolition or the abolishment of the Clinton Township Water and Sewer District, by a vote of—here's the catch—three paid board members of the Clinton Water and Sewer District. I like to harken back to a quote by the Gipper, Ronald Reagan, 'Nothing is closer to eternal life than a temporary government program.' So we are going to ask three paid board members to stop, dare I say it, the gravy train," said Safety Service Director Tanner Salyers, according to a video recording of the meeting.
According to Salyers in the same video recording, township residents are paying an extra $20.14 per bill to pay down debt on top of their water and sewer use charges and fees. The district board voted for a $5 decrease. In his presentation, Salyers said the district has assets sufficient to pay off two outstanding loans from the Ohio Water Development Authority: one loan with $51,865 outstanding due July 1 and another with $144,914 due Jan. 1, 2031. A little more than $196,000 is owed while more than $348,000 is on hand—enough to cover total debt.
Salyers also said that in addition to another layer of legal and financial structure, there are aggressive and unnecessary fees as well as additional tap and capacity fees. He said his presentation built on prior efforts that result in savings for Clinton Township ratepayers who want savings in their pockets along with access to clean drinking water and reliable sanitary sewer service. He noted that Clinton Township has limited capacity for major infrastructure needs due to its relatively small customer base.
With abolition of the district board, Salyers said, ownership of assets would transfer to the township. Through a contract with Mount Vernon, responsibility for existing debt would likely shift as well; however, he said this was not an attempt by Mount Vernon to annex Clinton Township since Mount Vernon already provides utilities in that area.
Clinton Township Trustee Jay Maners told council that this issue has been difficult for some time because the district was created specifically to pay off debt from installing sewer lines. With most area households having a median income of $26,000 it remains challenging; retiring both debt service fees—currently at $20.14—and high tap fees such as $4,000 continues to be contentious among residents and business owners alike. The council held a second reading on a resolution regarding abolition of the district; Utilities Commission Chair John Ruckman indicated another committee meeting will be scheduled if desired.
