Wednesday, November 28, 2007

County Council Hears Several Sides of the Sewer Issue

County Council Hears Several Sides of the Sewer Issue

At the 27 November 2007 Council Meeting all 7 members (Chairman Charlie Fehrman, Bill Ullrich, Maynard Barrott, Liz Morris, Dan Lansing, Dennis Kraus, and Tom Cheek) were present to clean up errors in the budget and appropriate money to finance shortfalls in some departments.

The new Chairman,Dave Enzweiler,of DCRSD (Dearborn County Regional Sewer District) turned the podium over to John Maxwell, DCRSD board member, to present a request for a letter of support to go to Lawrenceburg for a $2.3 million loan for capacity at St. Leon Sewer District. In attendance for support was Brett Fehrman, DCRSD board member, Chuck Hale, St. Leon Board member, and Frank Leone St. Leon Engineer for their Sewer District.

Maxwell said that 2 years ago he accepted their appointment (Council appointed him to replace Greg Volmer). He said the TIF in St. Leon area and in West Harrison are by St. Leon’s District and that St. Leon didn’t plan to expand their system. If all the people who were supposed to be hooked up to their system were hooked up they would be at capacity. Now they are at 70% capacity. [NOTE: Maybe I’m missing something here. If they have 30% left and they are trying to force hook-ups so those tap fees pay for that, why not use that capacity for the development that the county sees bringing in and let IT pay for the 30% and abandon the lawsuits? All this legal wrangling has to be expensive.] He said we would be getting 45% of the expansion for the $2.3 million. With the agreement, we can extend lines and that extension will be driven by development. We see the lines being funded by development and TIFs.

They talked to Mayor Cunningham to see about the loan and Lawrenceburg wants unity. Sewers have been a political hot potato. Cunningham wants to see a letter of support from the county. [NOTE: Why Council and not Commissioners?]

Maxwell said they are also going to focus on West Aurora.

Enzweiler said that in the past we were talking about another plant outside Aurora. Now we want to take the sewage to Aurora and he said he was trying to get a meeting set up with IDEM to see about getting High Ridge fixed.

Kraus asked- what about the money we appropriated for the engineering study on a plant for High Ridge. If you go to Aurora, this was wasted.

Enzweiler said that SOME of it had been spent, but they are holding on to the rest until we settle with Aurora. He said their goal is to concentrate on these 2 projects and nail down details before we come in here. Our engineer looked at St. Leon’s new technology and things look solid there.

Ullrich said Tom (Cheek) and I are paying more for our sewers now as Aurora is fixing Phase 1. Brett Fehrman said the Cochran Plant is 65% complete in Aurora.
Cheek said he talked to Randy Turner (Aurora Utility Director) about the burned down house on Huseman Road. Cheeks mother lives on that road and they are all on an old failed system. Doug Baer won’t let the people rebuild so now they have to move and buy more land. He said that Baer showed up with people from the state and condemned it. Cheek said that if they won’t let these people live there then they need to condemn High Ridge and all these others. Cheek asked if Aurora could take this.
Enzweiler said that we don’t need any more package plants out there messing things up. He said Thompson had given them a name (Patty Yount) to see about getting a plant there that could them be converted to a lift station for when the sewers are available to go to Aurora.

Maxwell said he went on the DCRSD board to get things done and they are here to get a letter of support. They need a $2.3 million loan from Lawrenceburg and a letter of support from Council for this. The idea is to position ourselves for jobs and tax base. He said he’s NOT saying there won’t be residential development too. They are hoping to get DCRSD, SDRSD, and St. Leon to go to IDEM together to get this accomplished.

The 2 men from St. Leon Sewers (Hale and Leone) were supportive and said that there were negotiated agreements sent out to the people being sued to hook-up and they expected this was pretty much settled. They said things were working out with those people.

Ullrich said it was a matter of being fair – grandfathering people on fixed incomes and noted that some people don’t NEED the sewer and shouldn’t have to be hooked on. Plus they don’t VOTE in St. Leon.

Enzweiler passed out the letter of support for Council.

[NOTE: Thom Hammond arrived at this point.]

Cheek asked Maxwell- how we would recoup the $2.3 million.

Maxwell said that Umbaugh (INDY legal firm experienced in bonds etc) worked it out so it will come back monthly as tap fees. User rates will amortize some of it. They have not worked out who will be billing the users.

Kraus- What about the winery- he’d heard they were extending there and forcing the people in New Alsace on too. Maxwell said the winery had a different system set up.

Cheek asked why not use the money for West Aurora- that’s why you were formed.

Enzweiler- Because this one we can do now and with West Aurora, we’ve been through all the hoops and still can’t get it done yet, due to Aurora’s order from IDEM.

Kraus- St. Leon scares me a little bit.

Morris- I don’t want to see the county involved in billing and getting staff etc. She wants others to do billing for us.

Thom Hammond- I represent 70 families who have received mandatory letters of connection. I was late tonight because I was meeting with our steering committee to decide what to do next. I want to dispel any thought that there is resolution on that forced hook-up issue.

Charlie Fehrman- That’s not our issue; we are only deciding to ask for money from Lawrenceburg.

Hammond- I was here January 17, 2007 begging commissioners and council to take the people’s position. As I read the blogs etc. and people are up at arms about this. We need to change the laws to fix this. Our group came up with a 7-point plan to expose what goes on in Dearborn County. Hammond went on to detail all the costs associated with a forced hook-up. He added that he had heard Maxwell say they will pay the loan back with tap fees. These are $4100 vs. the $400 like he paid.

Maxwell said- I’m not paying anything- I’m on a septic tank.

Charlie Fehrman tried several times to get back to the letter of support throughout this discussion.

Hammond told Council- that they would be grouped with St. Leon who is doing this to YOUR citizens. Why can’t the county back us- we have to dig into our pockets for 2 ½ years to defend ourselves. Let the legal system resolve this before you put your necks on the line. No one considers us- yet we LIVE and VOTE in Dearborn County. Light will be shed on this county from the state and we’ve talked to the Institute of Justice.

Fehrman- I appreciate your passion- but this is not our issue.

Fehrman asked for a motion for a letter of support. There was a long period of silence, as Council seemed to be absorbing the entire presentation.

Morris motioned and Barrott 2nd – Morris stating that people are primed for jobs and business and it was time to move forward. The vote was 2 Ayes (Morris and Barrott and 4 Nays (Kraus, Ullrich, Cheek, and Lansing). Motion failed.

Thompson addressed Council at this point and informed them that commissioners at a meeting were in favor of a no forced hook-up letter in the county- not municipalities. He also said that DCRSD had engendered animosity by their own behavior. If they want to get capacity for economic development then the $2.3 million should be earmarked for capacity for that only.

Enzweiler was quite upset at this point and accused Thompson of pointing fingers at them and stated that the county couldn’t get ahead- they were always going to be behind the times with this attitude. He said he was done- that they wouldn’t be seeing them again.

At the end of the meeting, Charlie Fehrman asked the 4 Nay votes to explain themselves. Reasons cited included the unfairness of forced hook-ups just because a line goes past the property, that relatives were among those sued by St. Leon, that they didn’t want to give money to cause this for our citizens, that West Aurora was to be fixed first and it keeps being pushed back. They said the DCRSD was to FIX problems and now they are buying capacity to expand in an area beyond that without fixing the problems first.

Christine Brauer Mueller
Lawrenceburg Township

61 comments:

Anonymous said...

The 2 men from St. Leon Sewers (Hale and Leone) were supportive and said that there were negotiated agreements sent out to the people being sued to hook-up and they expected this was pretty much settled. They said things were working out with those people.

Silence from Charlie


Thom Hammond- I represent 70 families who have received mandatory letters of connection. I was late tonight because I was meeting with our steering committee to decide what to do next. I want to dispel any thought that there is resolution on that forced hook-up issue.

Charlie now chooses to interject


Charlie Fehrman tried several times to get back to the letter of support throughout this discussion.

Charlie’s priorities shine through…


Enzweiler was quite upset at this point and accused Thompson of pointing fingers at them and stated that the county couldn’t get ahead- they were always going to be behind the times with this attitude. He said he was done- that they wouldn’t be seeing them again.

Enzweeler gets all pissy and stomps off, as the Council refuses to give the DCRSD a license to steal from the taxpayer and those within artillery range of wherever they decide to route a sewer line!


And the topper:

Maxwell said- I’m not paying anything- I’m on a septic tank.

Because John would punch anyone in the nose if they tried to steal from him like he is trying to steal from others!

Anonymous said...

"He (Ensweiler) said he was done- that they wouldn’t be seeing them again.


Promise?

Anonymous said...

Next time Dave, try armed robbery, it better fits your Board's predilections!

Anonymous said...

"...they were always going to be behind the times with this attitude."

So, to keep up with times, we need to bully our neighbors into subsidizing the likes of Board Members Brett Fehrman and John Maxwell's subdivisions, and to buffer Board Member Rodney Dennerline's business expenses?

Thanks, but no thanks, Dave!

Anonymous said...

Thom Hammond: "I want to dispel any thought that there is resolution on that forced hook-up issue."

Thom...lies are all these fellows have left...must you take even that away from them?

Anonymous said...

Now, lets get Doug Baer to do some testing of Hogan's Creek below High Ridge and see some real data made public as to just how much sewage has been dumped into it because of the DCRSD Board's self-interested inaction!

Anonymous said...

Light will be shed on this county from the state and we’ve talked to the Institute of Justice.

In most Indiana Counties, the public officials believe in "JUSTICE!"

Too many Development owned public officials in Dearborn County believe in "JUST US!"

Anonymous said...

Finally, the lie is apparent to all:

The DCRSD is not about helping people (a former commissioner's blatant lie) it is only about financing development of a few politically connected realtor/developers and their buddies!

Anonymous said...

Have the "children" of the DCRSD at long last learned that the taxpayer does not aspire to dig into the savings of their "children" to finance this DCRSD litter’s spoiled, childish and infantile demands?

Anonymous said...

Thom Hammond:

"No one considers us- yet we LIVE and VOTE in Dearborn County."

And you do vote, Thom!

Let not one vote go to those who threw you and your neighbors to the wolves for reasons of political expedience or downright greed!

Where was Rick Fox, Jeff Hughes and the entire Republican Party Leadership and their shyster lawyers, as you and your, no…our, neighbors were being assaulted by attorneys paid for by our tax dollars to enrich a handful of politically connected realtor/developer scoundrels in this County?

Vote these selfish and thieving bastards out of office!

Let the ouster of development “pack mules” such as Vera Benning be the predicate of all good things to come!

Anonymous said...

Everyone...everyone...everyone!

Notice that the argument that the State was "forcing" the DCRSD to "force" sewers on the rest of us is no more being made!

Why?

Because it was lie...a lie...from its very inception...a lie!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Kudos to those council members who voted for the citizens and taxpayers of this County!!!

Good job!!!

As far as the other two...

...one, by marriage, did what was expected of a good, servile wife of a Development Party Hack Member...

...the other, voted, the way he "may have" promised to, to get his "appointment" to the Council!!!

Anonymous said...

I agree, God Bless those Council Members who did the right thing.

God further bless those who voted to the contrary and may God open their hearts to what the dcrsd and its supporters were willing to do to our family, friends, neighbors and those we have yet been aquainted with.

Money is certainly the root of all.......

Anonymous said...

Now, lets get Doug Baer to do some testing of Hogan's Creek below High Ridge and see some real data made public as to just how much sewage has been dumped into it because of the DCRSD Board's self-interested inaction!


Because Chuck (protect my waterways at any cost...giggle...laugh...laugh...giggle) Andres demands access to such raw data!

Anonymous said...

Chuck...you are a "reasonably" (liberal definition) smart guy...are you catching on to the fact that we all know you are full of self-serving shit?

Anonymous said...

"Morris stating that people are primed for jobs and business and it was time to move forward>"

So...lets force folks to "hook on" to sewers...presently on entirely legal and functioning septic systems, cause...gosh darn it...they are the least able to afford to fight back!!!

Right...Liz???

Anonymous said...

Thank you, everyone...with a special little "shout out" to Ralph!

Good works do not go unnoticed!

Anonymous said...

A sewer Coup d'etat was prevented last night. A big thanks to the 4 council members that voted against the DCRSD's request.

Anonymous said...

"Maxwell said he went on the DCRSD board to get things done and they are here to get a letter of support."

John, you were confused, from the very start, relative to whom you were to get things done for!

The citizens and the taxpayers feel somewhat slighted!

Condolences, though, to losing your hoped for “cash cow,” the DCRSD, to supply your much needed cash flow for your personal business interests!

But, it was not, really, the taxpayers burden, to assure your financial comfort zone!

Anonymous said...

"So, to keep up with times, we need to bully our neighbors into subsidizing the likes of Board Members Brett Fehrman and John Maxwell's subdivisions, and to buffer Board Member Rodney Dennerline's business expenses?"

In defense of Enzweiler- he's probably the ONLY member of DCRSD with pure intentions. The rest are as full of it as a herd of longhorns on laxatives.

Anonymous said...

In defense of Enzweiler- he's probably the ONLY member of DCRSD with pure intentions. The rest are as full of it as a herd of longhorns on laxatives.

Point taken and understood!

The playing field is crowded and the players are easily mistaken!

Dave's exasperation may have been with the entire process!

Anonymous said...

Why do the people of High Ridge have to wait for sewers. Dillsboro said they would take High Ridge, but not gabbards farm why not get high ridge taken care of then let Aurora worry about west and gabbards. May be the board should use some common sense and get this done. It seems pretty simple .

Anonymous said...

Ensweiler seems to be one of the board members who had nothing to gain by the DCRSD's actions and/or inactions!

Maybe a few more Ensweilers coupled with a few less Fehrmans and Maxwells, would have proven to be the saving grace of the DCRSD!

Anonymous said...

Dillsboro said they would take High Ridge, but not gabbards

Dillsboro could not and would not line the pockets of Brett Fehrman (aka Gabbard Estates), at the expense of the taxpayers and citizens of Dearborn County...so...Dillsboro was dropped from consideration by the DCRSD's board...which...coincidentally...included board member...Brett Fehrman!

In a nutshell, this is why the DCRSD was destined to fail, from its very establishment!

Without the requisite co-conspirators, unethical and amoral strategies, are always doomed to fail!

If, only, Dillsboro was chock full of the same reprobates as the DCRSD, such an association could have worked!

But…but…but…

Anonymous said...

Yeah!

Dave Enzweiler, is a good egg, not to be confused with the other rotten eggs of the dcrsd!

Anonymous said...

Great news from the Council!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, when will we here from Fox and Hughes that such action would have occurred sooner but for all the "anti-everythings" and "do-nothings" in this County (as per Ewbank's memo)?

Anonymous said...

I'm sure both Fox and Hughes will now be able to find the political courage to demand Ewbank write the "No Forced Hook-Ups Letter" making it a matter of public record the "wishes" of the Dearborn County Commissioners!

Fox and Hughes...always willing to offer some comic relief to County Government!

May the voters exhibit the same humor when they vote these two shills out of office!

Anonymous said...

If, only, Dillsboro was chock full of the same reprobates as the DCRSD, such an association could have worked!

The good and decent folks of Dillsboro are everything the DCRSD could never be!

The good and decent folks of Dillsboro care about their fellow man...

...unlike the DCRSD Board...

...who only care how much is in their fellow man's...

...shyster accessible...

...savings account!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Fox and Hughes...always willing to offer some comic relief to County Government!

Playing this week at the Ewbank and Lehner Comedy Club and Pick-Pocket Pavilion!

Anonymous said...

Ralph Thompson has been the best move the voters in this county have made for a while. Let's keep it moving in the right direction next year.

Anonymous said...

John Rahe,so you think Dearborn County needs the jobs so people can work locally.How about your buddy Jim West,he has to travel all the way from Georgia.Couldn't you find him a job closer to home?Tell us the real reason you are so interested in development?

Anonymous said...

Cheek asked why not use the money for West Aurora- that’s why you were formed.

Because the DCRSD has not yet figured out how to con the Council into sewering Gabbard Estates with the High Ridge fix!

So, let us spend the money up in St. Leon for the benefit of Maxwell's development plans!

If left to their own self-imposed time line, the DCRSD will have every rural road sewered in this entire county, with housing starts scattered clear across this county, before High Ridge's sewage stops flowing into Hogan's Creek!

Dealing with High Ridge first would be the proper "public health" response!

But the DCRSD only used the "public health" as a ruse to gain control of a sewer district to cater to politically connected development interests in this county!

Anonymous said...

Doug Baer says I tested my bottled water this morning and it was fine, I do not see what all the fuss is about!!!

Anonymous said...

To date, how much money has the DCRSD expended in studies, legal fees and sewering Board Member, Dennerline's trailer park?

And still nothing done with High Ridge!

Now they want a letter of support for another 2.3 million dollars, not earmarked for the High Ridge fix?

How much of our money has been wasted to date?

Anonymous said...

"Doug Baer says I tested my bottled water this morning and it was fine, I do not see what all the fuss is about!!!"

Poor Doug, so many "forced hook-up letters" to send, but no one to send them to!

Now, maybe he can finally start doing his job and protect our waterways from greedy developer sewer spills!

Anonymous said...

"Because the DCRSD has not yet figured out how to con the Council into sewering Gabbard Estates with the High Ridge fix!"

Brett will be damned if, after he played his part in the scam and gave Rodney his sewers, at our expense, he is not going to have his subdivision sewered at our expense also! Until then, High Ridge can just continue to dump all its raw sewage into Hogans!

Fair is fair (as far as fairness exists in the criminal mind)!

Anonymous said...

Ullrich said it was a matter of being fair – grandfathering people on fixed incomes and noted that some people don’t NEED the sewer and shouldn’t have to be hooked on. Plus they don’t VOTE in St. Leon.

St. Leon is the DCRSD's role model.

The DCRSD's Board has not one "plan" for their sewers that does not include "forcing" hook-ups.

"Smart Growth," to the DCRSD, is getting sewers to all their proposed developments, today, no matter if it bankrupts the rest of us and our children well into the future.

The DCRSD was a scam from its very inception!

Anonymous said...

One can only imagine how the crooks of the dcrse would just love to hook up with the crooks up in st. leon!

The marriage between the two, would give them even more money and power, without any moral or ethical compass to hinder their profits!

Anonymous said...

dcrse==dcrsd

Anonymous said...

"Notice that the argument that the State was "forcing" the DCRSD to "force" sewers on the rest of us is no more being made!

Why?

Because it was lie...a lie...from its very inception...a lie!!!!!!!!!"



Any one involved in promulgating that lie needs to be banned forever from public office!

Anonymous said...

"The 2 men from St. Leon Sewers (Hale and Leone) were supportive and said that there were negotiated agreements sent out to the people being sued to hook-up and they expected this was pretty much settled. They said things were working out with those people.

Silence from Charlie"



Well, of course, it is standard operating proceedure to permit the planting of yet another development lie before moving on with a vote beneficial to development!

Then Thom Hammond had to ruin it all!

Anonymous said...

The pressure is getting to the black hat guys, to wit:
1. Vieste is gone
2. The coucil despite Mr Fehrman's desire of charity for all developer/realtors along with Mr. Enzweiler's temper tantrum did not facilitate the 2.3 M loan, bond issue or whatever.

How much more can thse poor fellows take?

Anonymous said...

We don't need a police officer at various meetings in the county, no, but perhaps we ought to have a CHILD PSYCHIATRIST in attendance.

Anonymous said...

For only 2.3 million dollars, Maxwell could have had a stake in St. Leon sewers, concurrent with their ability to "force" 90% of their "customers" unto their sewers with no rights nor representation to protect them from thieving realtor/developers!

Heaven on Earth...right John?

Anonymous said...

Well, thanks to the honest and decent folks on County Council, it would appear that the "Boogy Man" has had the snot knocked out of him!

Anonymous said...

I'm sure secretary Benning blew a big sigh of relief!

Now, the DCRSD can get back to "helping people," like she promised as commissioner when she pushed the DCRSD on to the good people of Dearborn County!

Anonymous said...

"Cheek asked Maxwell- how we would recoup the $2.3 million.

Maxwell said that Umbaugh (INDY legal firm experienced in bonds etc) worked it out so it will come back monthly as tap fees."


Has Umbaugh been working for free for the DCRSD?

Or will this bill be just another gift from the DCRSD to the taxpayer?

Does Umbaugh have any professional relationship with sewer shyster L. Parvin Price?

Anonymous said...

"Good Ole Boy" politics in Dearborn County took a mortal blow the night of the County Council Meeting!

Anonymous said...

Ewbank, Morris, Fox, Hughes and Nugent are finding out they have more and more honest politicians to undermine!

It must be getting overwhelming for them!

Anonymous said...

"We don't need a police officer at various meetings in the county, no, but perhaps we ought to have a CHILD PSYCHIATRIST in attendance."

Personally I'd like to see an accountant at Council meetings.

Anonymous said...

What's with Maxwell being on septic tank? I thought sewers ran up that way...
And if they are close and he believes in sewers, why isn't he on one?

Anonymous said...

I would like to see an "ethics officer!"

Anonymous said...

"And if they are close and he believes in sewers, why isn't he on one?"

Maybe Maxwell understands all the problems associated with pressurized sewers and grinder pumps?

Anonymous said...

Maybe, no flushing during power outages, is a real turn off for John?

Anonymous said...

"And if they are close and he believes in sewers, why isn't he on one?"

Not being on sewers is MUCH CHEAPER.
LOL..maybe we should report him for inspection by Doug Baer..

Anonymous said...

Doug Baer would wade through a sewer system polluted creek, such as Double Lick, to condemn a working septic system!

Anonymous said...

"What's with Maxwell being on septic tank?"

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

Anonymous said...

Doug Baer would wade through a sewer system polluted creek, such as Double Lick, to condemn a working septic system!

Doug Baer can't get off the chair. John Grace does all his heavy lifting.

Anonymous said...

Has anyone asked Charlie Fehrman WHY did he ONLY asked the 4 gentlemen to explain their NAY votes? I'd like to Thank The Lord Jesus for the nay votes and we thank those 4 gentltmen too. We have been bullied for too long!

People are facing losing their homes, over this garbage...excuse me sewer system that we never asked for and do not want.

Worse than that there are people who I believe have been put under so much stress by this "forced hook-up" scenario that they have in fact had serious health issues because of it. One wife recently buried her husband who had a heart attach shortly after St. Leon's Sewer Board came after them to force them onto their lousy sewer system.

Has anyone actually seen what they call a sewer system? It looks like a hot water tank sticking up in the middle of your yard. It does not work when the electricity is off! Raw sewage starts backing up into your home!

Why didn't Charlie ask the 2 jerks who voted aye to explain themselves??? I guess that explanation would be too easy...money, money, money, money and oh yeah MORE MONEY!!!

Time for a change!

Anonymous said...

"Why didn't Charlie ask the 2 jerks who voted aye to explain themselves???"

I'm sure Charlie was already briefed as to how they would vote via a memo on Ewbank and Kramer letterhead!

Anonymous said...

"Why didn't Charlie ask the 2 jerks who voted aye to explain themselves???"

Charlie, the Tax Dollar Fairy, was already primed to give his boss Maxwell what they asked for. He just wanted to know why he wasn't able to deliver what he promised to the DCRSD at their meeting.

"Enzweiler was quite upset at this point and accused Thompson...."

The DCRSD president who had a tantrum, when he didn't get his way! He thought the Tax Dollar Fairy had a lock on fulfilling his promise to get the DCRSD what they wanted.

Let the DCRSD die.