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“The ball is in their court!”
That was the message that Zanesville Town Council members Patsy Brock and Jon Schuhmacher brought to Wednesday’s rescheduled council meeting. Danny Miller was absent.
In response to the City of Fort Wayne’s offer of $110,000 for full ownership of Zanesville’s current sewage system, with a $67.50 monthly rate for residents until at least Jan. 1, 2011, Zanesville has made a counteroffer, requesting a payment of $160,500 with a $55 monthly rate for residents for a five-year period.
The additional $50,500 will allow the town to meet all accountant and other consultant costs associated with the deal, and to provide a refund to those residents who contributed an “up-front” $500 payment last year to help the town raise much needed funds.
The counteroffer was made after consultation with Zanesville’s accountants and other advisers. Brock noted that Zanesville’s sewage system was worth $3 million, and even with the cost of anticipated repairs factored in, the City of Fort Wayne would still be getting the system at a bargain rate.
The City of Fort Wayne has received the counteroffer and is giving it consideration. Brock indicated that she hoped that the matter will be resolved prior to the March town council meeting.
Despite the heavy rains, Zanesville experienced no serious difficulties with the sewage system during the past month. The plant handled an average of 116,700 gallons of water each day over a 34-day reporting period. The daily low during this period was 76,600 gallons, while the high was a massive 322,600 gallons.
The total amount for the reporting period was 3,970,000 gallons.
Bob Eash and Mick Cupp presented plans for the proposed Garden Gate Estate project that Eash is developing, north of Zanesville (in Allen County, but within town limits).
The Area Planning Commission has provided primary approval for the project, but required secondary approval for the plans from Zanesville’s town council. This was given.
The development is expected to consist of 60 lots in total, with homes in the $200,000 value range. A “No parking on the street” ordinance was also required for the development, as there is only one way in to the area, and emergency vehicles require access.
The council also approved the ordinance for the development.
Council members considered a special hardship request made on behalf of a local family experiencing difficulties in paying their monthly sewer bills. The family has a seriously ill child, with a solo mother who is unemployed, and has been making every effort to pay its bills, but has still fallen behind. A local church has agreed to pay the monthly account to assist the family, and has requested the town assist by waiving the arrears owing.
Council members agreed to write off the $500 in arrears owed due to the special nature of the case. It was stressed that this is a special case, where genuine ongoing hardship is involved, and should not be misinterpreted as a precedent that could be used by other residents to escape paying their bills.
The issue of the fence erected recently by the Kissell family on Walker St., which incurred the wrath of the Area Planning Commission (APC) when it was discovered it had been erected on town land, again came before the council.
With council member Danny Miller absent, it was agreed to table the issue until March. This has been discussed with APC Director Mike Lautzenheiser Jr., who has accepted that an attempt is being made to resolve the issue, and has therefore agreed to delay legal action.
The issue is complicated by the fact that several properties in the area “do not line-up according to APC expectations,” and all have different degrees of non-conformance, so one rule will not necessarily resolve the issue for everyone.
It was also noted that several potholes have appeared in roads around Zanesville, and some of these are potentially dangerous for passing motorists.
Given the current weather conditions, it is impractical to take steps to repair these holes, but options are being investigated so the work can begin as soon as possible.
It was hoped that some of the money received from the sale of the sewer system to the City of Fort Wayne will be able to be used to upgrade the roads and make them safe.
In other business, the council:
— Tabled the renewal of the Harden Electric Contract. This is due to be signed prior to March 31, 2008, and will be addressed at the March meeting.
— Renewed the agreement with Allen County Highway Dept. which sees Allen County provide signs, highway markings and other services to Zanesville. Previously, the contract has been renewed on an annual basis, but this year, the renewal term is for four years.
— Received Town Marshall Carl Collins report that he had worked 124.5 hours for the town over the past month. Collins also listed the number of calls and other tasks that he had been required to attend to during this time.
— Agreed that council will review the Area Planning Commission’s rezoning ordinance after its scheduled March 20 meeting.
frank@news-banner.com
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