Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Fines could cost the communities $25,000 daily if the mandates aren't met.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Administrators of some Trumbull County communities dislike the latest unfunded government mandate, a storm sewer edict that residents in 16 places will pay for.
Fines the communities would face for noncompliance aren't helping the situation.
"I don't believe in unfunded mandates at all. It's not fair," said Darlene St. George, Howland Township administrator. "It gives the people no input whatsoever."
Girard Mayor James J. Melfi added, "Obviously, we are going to pay for this. We are ultimately responsible and must meet the mandate."
Their comments come knowing that if nothing is done, their communities are subject to retroactive fines of up to $25,000 per day.
Monthly charge
Trumbull County commissioners are in the process of deciding if they will impose a $15 annual fee added to the property tax bills of residents in 16 communities. The fee of $1.25 per month would be used primarily to reduce the amount of storm water in new developments and enlarge systems in older communities to eliminate flooding.
Dave Brown, administrator of the Trumbull County Soil and Water Conservation District that is administering the program, said the fee, if approved by commissioners, would appear on the tax duplicates beginning in January.
The charge would generate about $750,000 annually and be distributed to the 16 political subdivisions based on population.
Those incorporated communities are Cortland, Girard, Hubbard, McDonald, Newton Falls and Niles.
The townships are Bazetta, Brookfield, Champion, Howland, Hubbard, Liberty, Newton, Vienna, Warren and Weathersfield.
Brown explained that the communities whose property owners would be charged were selected because of population density or growth potential.
The city of Warren already has imposed a $2.70 monthly fee for storm water work.
County commissioner James G. Tsagaris said the fines that can be imposed by the federal and state Environmental Protection agencies are enough impetus to warrant approval.
"We should go ahead [with imposing the fee]. It's taking too much time," Tsagaris said of the decision-making process.
Against the fee
The primary opponent is Commissioner Daniel E. Polivka. He opposed Warren's fee when he was a city councilman and terms it a "rain tax."
"It's an issue of jeopardizing communities that don't have any money to begin with," commented Hubbard Mayor Arthur U. Magee about the fines that have been established.
The state and federal EPA mandated the storm water requirements in 1999. The commissioners formed a consortium of the 16 communities to save money and hired CT Consultants of Willoughby to put together an overall plan, Brown explained.
The plan is designed to deal with storm water runoff by assuring sewage treatment plants aren't overloaded and to assure storm water is clean before draining into streams and rivers, Brown said.
The plan has to be operational by 2007. Brown said the EPA will begin imposing fines retroactively on communities if they are not in compliance by 2006.
Melfi likened the mandate to the 1980s when the EPA required communities to construct secondary sewage treatment plants. Girard continues to pay $450,000 annually to retire the debt on its plant construction. That will continue until 2007.
yovich@vindy.com