Sewer, street issues unresolved (12/11/07)

Jay County has a sewer and some street it would like to give to the city of Portland.

Construction of the sewer - a new line connecting POET Biorefining to the city's wastewater treatment plant - was a cooperative project. But now that it's in place, it's unclear who is responsible for its maintenance.

"There's an agreement between (POET) and the city of Portland to accept waste from the ethanol plant," commissioners' attorney Bill Hinkle said Monday.

Currently POET is paying for the electrical service to one lift station near the ethanol plant, while the county is paying for electrical service to a second lift station near county road 150 and Blaine Pike.

County engineer Dan Watson said the county doesn't have the expertise to handle repairs if something were to break down at either lift station.

"I personally think the easiest solution is to try to get the city to take over the line," Watson told county commissioners. "That would be my suggestion. ... I think the city will accept it."

"There needs to be a dialogue," said Hinkle.

A meeting set for Jan. 14 at 5 p.m. in the commissioners room at the Jay County Courthouse will bring together city officials, commissioners, the board of the Jay County Regional Sewer District, and POET representatives to sort out ongoing responsibility for the line. Hinkle serves as attorney for both the city of Portland and the commissioners.

The street question dates back to an incorrect plat for the BEAM Place subdivision east of Blaine Pike.

"The plat was recorded without dedication of the streets," said auditor Freda Corwin.

As a result, property taxes have accrued on the streets and have not been paid by the developer, Biggs Inc., Decatur. Two other small, pie-shaped pieces - one at Blaine Pike and Honeysuckle Lane and the other at Blaine Pike and Dogwood Lane - have also reverted to the county for non-payment of property taxes.

As it now stands, the county owns both those vacant lots, one half of Honeysuckle Lane and all of Dogwood Lane. The other half of Honeysuckle Lane is expected to be taken over by the county for non-payment of taxes next year.

Commissioners indicated they'd like to see the streets properly dedicated to the city and the vacant lots made available for sale to the adjoining property owners.

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But it was unclear Monday how long that would take to untangle the situation.

In other business, commissioners noted that the Jay County Health Department has posted a number of notices urging those in support of a countywide smoking ban to register their opinions with the county auditor's office.

Commissioners have been on the fence about the possibility of a smoking ban for months and were no closer to a decision Monday.

Commissioner Gary Theurer said he'd heard from some constituents in support of a ban but added, "I've had more of them say, "Leave it alone.'"[[In-content Ad]]