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Public meeting addresses Poland’s referendum
POLAND
About a dozen village residents attended a public meeting Wednesday that outlined the current storm-water utility ordinance.
The ordinance, adopted last December, is up for referendum Nov. 8. The village could have collected fees since then but opted not to do so because of the referendum.
The ordinance created a storm-water utility fee of $3.50 per one equivalent residential unit, which is 2,500 square feet. The law states that all homes regardless of size are equal to one ERU and would pay $42 annually. Land owned by commercial and non-profit entities is assessed a fee based square footage, without a cap.
“To be perfectly clear, we have no intention now and in the future to increase rates. To revise any part of [the rates] would require a new ordinance with three readings and a public hearing,” said council President Joe Mazur.
Village officials outlined 16 projects they would like to undertake with the fee, with the top priorities of addressing flooding problems on Botsford Street and Ohio Avenue. The list of projects is available at village hall, 308 S. Main St.
Mayor Tim Sicafuse and council members emphasized that the charge is a fee — not a tax — and compared it to other utility fees based on usage. The fee increases the likelihood of the village receiving grants for storm- water projects because it could be used for matching funds, the mayor said.
Officials reminded residents that the storm-water ordinance was approved because the village must adhere to guidelines from the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Runoff from parking lots and yards contributes ... more pollutants than they would from a point source like a pipe,” said Gary Diorio of MS Consultants of Youngstown, the village’s engineering consultant.
Fines from EPA violations could reach up to $25,000 per day per violation, said Rich DeLuca, who has served as Struthers storm-water utility manager. Struthers, Lowellville, Campbell and Canfield all have storm-water utilities.