Austintown, Boardman, Canfield embrace regional water district

By Denise Dick

BOARDMAN — What started as three townships’ strategy to stave off annexation by — or joint economic development districts with — Youngstown has expanded to a way to address other problems.

Trustees from Austintown, Boardman and Canfield had a public meeting last month to educate residents about a proposed water and storm-water district. The next step is presenting the proposal to a Mahoning County Common Pleas Court judge, said Jason Loree, Boardman administrator.

Formation of the district will provide all three communities with a way to address storm water, or flooding, concerns.

Albers and Albers, the Columbus law firm contracted by the townships, and Sands Decker of Columbus, an engineering firm, are preparing the court presentation.

“It should take three to four months,” Loree said.

The three townships are chipping in to cover the estimated $40,000 cost of legal and engineering work.

The court would then conduct a hearing where objections could be heard. If its establishment is approved, the district would be a separate political entity from township trustees. Three members, one appointed by each township, would oversee district operations.

The three townships began meeting and talking about the possibility of a district more than a year ago after a Youngstown study recommended joint economic development districts with Boardman and Austintown.

Youngstown supplies water to parts of Boardman and Canfield and all of Austintown. Portions of both Boardman and Canfield receive water through Aqua Ohio, and some Canfield residents depend on wells.

The city’s study said that through economic development, $439 million could go to Youngstown and the two townships over a 20-year period through the creation of 3,750 jobs at new businesses on 750 acres in the townships.

It calls for workers at every business in the two townships that get Youngstown water to be assessed a 2 percent city income tax. The townships could also assess their own 0.25 percent income tax on those same residents.

For years, trustees have received complaints because neighboring municipalities have proposed policies placing conditions on the supply of drinking water, a preliminary study of the proposed three-township district says.

“These concerns have related primarily to the insistence of the city of Youngstown that new water service to developing properties or continued water service to existing properties within the townships may be conditioned upon requirements that properties annex into the city of Youngstown or join a Joint Economic Development District,” the townships’ study says.

That remains a goal of the plan, Loree said. “It’s not the main goal,” he said.

The main goal is addressing storm water concerns, Loree said.

“I think this could be the kickoff for regionalization efforts,” he said. “Stormwater I think is something we all need to consider.”

Initially, the area of Boardman bounded by Market Street, Ewing Road, Southwoods Avenue and Hitchcock Road would be included in the district if it’s approved.

Michael Dockry, Austintown administrator, said pursuing the district involves two issues: stormwater and drinking water.

At first, the only portions of his township that would be included in the district are the College Park and Kimberly Acres neighborhoods. Flooding has been an issue for some of the roughly 800 residents in those areas.

The township could opt to add some or all of the township to the district later.

“If we had the money, we have plans for detention that would help in those areas,” Dockry said.

Money would come from a utility fee established by district trustees. Those trustees would decide how the fee is levied and how much it is. The fee would have to be approved by voters within the district. District members also are the ones who would pay the fee.

Funds accumulated from the fees would be used to complete stormwater projects.

The second issue, providing drinking water, would come into play if residents’ water is used as leverage, Dockry said, acknowledging that Youngstown’s JEDD pursuits provided impetus for the plan.

Canfield Trustee Chairman William Reese said parts of his township rely on well water. If a developer wanted to construct homes or businesses in those areas, which include portions west of state Route 46, Coventry Court and parts of Western Reserve Road, there’s no water system that serves them.

Creation of a water district would address that, Reese said.

Austintown Trustee David Ditzler said formation of a water and storm water district also improves chances to secure grants.

“There’s more power in numbers to provide better opportunities for our residents,” Ditzler said.

WATER DISTRICT

The process

Austintown, Boardman and Canfield townships are pursuing establishment of a water and storm water district to address flooding concerns and perceived annexation threats. The process:

A public meeting which was conducted last month.

Petition Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to request that a water and storm water district be organized. The court will conduct a hearing where objections may be heard.

If approved by the court, each township would appoint a representative who would serve as a district trustee. The district would be a political subdivision empowered to plan, construct and operate central water and storm water services and apply for grant and loan assistance to fund the projects.

District trustees could establish a storm water utility fee, which would have to be approved by residents of the district, to pay for storm water projects. How the fee is structured and its amount would be determined by district trustees.

The district would be a separate entity, independent of the townships.

Source: Townships, preliminary study for establishment of the district.