PLYMOUTH — The Marshall County Commissioners spent the majority of their Monday meeting hearing the concerns of citizens in the area of Lake Latonka and Lawrence Lake about the Marshall County Sewer District and, in particular, Board President Thomas McFadden.
Speaking for the group, Bill Woodward outlined their concerns, focusing on the lack of citizen input in the process and the fiscal repercussions to those in the district.
The Marshall County Sewer District was formed in April of 2022 to address septic system concerns in high-concentration areas such as subdivisions, trailer parks, and lake communities, including groundwater contamination, along with properties being unusable after the failure of a septic system.
In March of this year, Commissioner Jesse Bohannon had expressed concern over the fiscal responsibility of the board, saying they had already incurred a significant debt, and at Monday’s meeting, restated that the Sewer district had issued a $3 million bond and had spent $700,000 to date. The District had not received an expected grant from the state, and without the money from that grant, the cost to consumers would be nearly $220 a month.
Woodward said that his research had also shown that many hooking up to the proposed system would incur between $6-10,000 in costs, both of which would be a hardship to many. He said that other, more cost-effective options to the proposed sewer plan already in the works fell on deaf ears with McFadden.
The group told the Commissioners that when they asked about their options and if they could choose not to hook into the system, they were told they could apply for an exemption. If they did not receive that exemption, they were told that they would be fined and their homes could be taken from them. Woodward said that those exemptions were rarely given.
The group also had concerns over the approach of Board President McFadden, who seemed to have no concern for the apprehensions, and according to Woodward, had repeatedly said that the project would happen in spite of those concerns.
Bohannon suggested that they request McFadden to come before the Commissioners in their next meeting, but since that attendance could not be required, they felt he would likely not attend.
President of the Commissioners Stan Klotz felt that they needed to research information on what action they could legally take and what would be the best way to proceed. The decision was reached that County Attorney Sean Surrissi would research the legal precedents and courses of action of the situation and report to the Commissioners at their next meeting.
