County Council discusses Regional Sewer District at Monday meeting

Marcel Lebbin, the attorney appointed by the County Council as their counsel, reported Monday to the council on the Regional Sewer Board. He stated that he has requested the bond documents but has not received them yet. However, he was able to review the resolution and documents from the county and commissioners approving the Regional Sewer Board, which leads him to believe that county taxpayers would be responsible for backing the $3 million bond that was issued. He said he can't be 100% sure until he reviews the bond documents. 

Lebbin believes that when the Regional Sewer Board came to the council in 2024 seeking additional support for additional bond money, it was because they needed the council to back the bond and loan application so they could get favorable rates.

Council President Tim Harman reiterated that the county could be on the “hook” for the potential payment of the bond for the Regional Sewer District. Their attorney said, “Yes, and not only this one, but if they get an upsized one, and they can’t meet their obligations, it appears that the county would be the fallback payee.”

Councilwoman Nicole Cox contacted JPR (Jones, Petrie, Rafinski Architectural & Engineering Consulting Firm) in June to get copies of invoices since the inception of the Regional Sewer District.  She stated that from 2023 to the end of May 2025, the sewer board has spent a total of $1,149,064.86, with no guarantee of receiving a grant.  Cox said most of their expenses are from consulting and attorney fees.

Cox said, “It's very concerning to me. The sewer district can’t promise they are going to have rates lower than $200, which is astronomical, and that’s what they promised when they started.” She said the initial estimate was between $75 and $100. She also mentioned that monthly billing could reach up to $250, and the hookup cost could be up to $20,000. She closed her statement saying, “This is fiscally irresponsible spending that needs to come to a halt until they get the grant money, they say they are going to get or try to get.”  

Councilman Brandon Schadrick said the Regional Sewer District board is financially irresponsible for spending money when they have zero income and creating this amount of debt. He commented that he was sure some members of the sewer board hadn’t even looked at the invoices.   The councilman went on to say, “Their financial position is that they have got the ability to go over $3 million in debt, and you, the citizens of Marshall County, not just those in the sewer district, will be on the hook.  All of us will be on the hook when this fails, and it is inevitably going to fail because of the mismanagement of this board.  I get fired up about it because you're screwing over every citizen here in Marshall County, every taxpayer, because we can’t fiscally respond.”   

Councilman Greg Compton, who’s only been on the council for two months, said the figures being discussed are without a clear understanding of the actual costs. He said the sewer district plans to apply for a grant, but the amount of funding available from the state is currently unknown. 

Compton said, “I think the commissioners and we as the council cut the legs off the district by reducing the amount of funds.  We had $2 million of ARPA funds that we said we were going to put into the sewer district. That was reduced to $500,000.  Then it was reduced to $150,000, and finally we cut a check for $75,000.”  Compton went on to say that the state and those approving grants and low-interest loans look at this and think the commissioners and the council aren’t willing to support the sewer district. 

Councilman Compton discussed the lakes as vital areas of the county. He mentioned that $200 a month for sewer service or $20,000 to connect was too high. Compton pointed out that there is a lot of criticism against the board and engineers, and the expenses being invoiced to the district are typically incurred when starting large projects like roads, water, or sewer systems.  

The councilman said the council is being very harsh and pitting people against other people.  “It’s gotten way out of hand.  I go on Facebook, and I’ve said nothing publicly until right now, and I get attacked because I’m against retired people and veterans and everything else that has been said about both Jim (Masterson) and me.”   Compton commented, “This isn’t the way we should be governing or handling the issue.” 

Compton said in last week’s commissioner’s meeting, “It was an all-out attack on the lawyers and the board, and I think we as a council have a responsibility in this, too, as far as the funding is concerned.”    

Attorney Lebbin said he thought rates and hookup fees were put out by the Regional Sewer District’s financial advisors.  He went on to say, “We are not talking voodoo numbers here when we are talking about what people are going to have to spend.  The sewer district spent over $100,000 to get those numbers.  I hope for $100,000 they are accurate.”

Compton stated that, for the health of Marshall County citizens, a regional sewer district will be necessary sooner rather than later.  He suggested reorganizing the council and commissioners with the sewer district and looking at the priorities rather than shutting it down now and then, only to start over in 2, 5, or 10 years.  He also said, “I think some of the councilmembers and the commissioners have been downright vicious in making people afraid of their community and the people they live around.”

Councilman Greg Compton agreed that the Regional Sewer Board should pause spending until additional information is obtained for being awarded grants and low-interest loans.  He told the council they need to quit attacking people online about the sewer district.

The County Council agreed to hold a joint work session with the County Commissioners and Health Department.

Council President Tim Harman also noted Compton’s suggestion of stopping the attacks that are uncalled and not professional and said, “Obviously, I think decorum is important in how we behave during the council meeting and outside the council meetings is duly noted.”