Sandusky, Erie County reach an historic first step; agree to talk
After some debate, city commissioners vote to engage with county about study to determine if regional water and sewer service is the right move to reduce cost
SANDUSKY —
The fight over who controls Sandusky’s water may be one of the city’s longest-running battles. On Monday night, after decades of tension and lawsuits, city commissioners voted to join Erie County in exploring the creation of a regional water and sewer system.
The idea of regional system’s been kicking around for years, but it was resurrected earlier this year when a countywide Blue Ribbon committee of local officials and experts was formed to look for ways to reduce the cost of government, and, in turn, reduce taxes on residents.
A regionalized water/sewer system was one way that costs might be reduced, the committee determined. Erie County commissioner Matt Old, who spearheaded appointing the committee, spoke during the audience participation portion of Monday’s city commission meeting.
“When you grow an economy of scale, you’re able to push down the cost of doing business,” Old told city commissioners. “We’re not at the starting line yet. We’re walking to it. My hope is that Erie County, Sandusky, Vermilion, Huron, and Milan will all start this process together so there are no games being played and everyone is on the same page.”
His fellow county commissioner Steve Shoffner also spoke at the city commission meeting.
“I followed closely the water and sewer issues between the county and the city since 1992 when I first got to town, and the lack of effort to regionalize systems since that time—and the constant legal confrontations—was one of the reasons I chose to run for this office,” Shoffner said.
Shoffner said a completely separate and new entity created to handle a regionalized system, an entity that would assume all current debt and all operations, might work for all county residents.
“Until we have a study completed that shows us the results of exactly what we currently have in operation, we’ll never be able to seriously discuss regionalization options.”
Cautious support inside City Hall
Sandusky commissioners didn’t exactly welcome the proposal with open arms. Some expressed skepticism, others mistrust. But most agreed the city could not afford to be absent from the table.
Commissioner Jeff Krabill put it bluntly: “If the city of Sandusky is not at the table when such a study is going to be done, and the county pursues it no matter what, then recommendations will come forward and many will say, ‘Well, we weren’t part of that.’ As a matter of good public policy, if there’s an opportunity to create efficiencies and save ratepayers money, then we should at least look at it.”
Commissioner Kate Vargo agreed. “There’s been too much divide, and I think this is a really benign way to get together and do something that potentially could help our residents,” he said. “It may not work, but you don’t know until you look at it.”
Krabill made a motion the city agree to talk with the county about a regional study; Vargo seconded his motion, which led to some discussion among commissioners.
Vice chair Dennis Murray Jr. supported the idea of a study but issued a sharp warning. “Sandusky is the lowest-cost service provider of any entity in Erie County,” Murray said. “My concern is that you could immediately make rates cheaper in the rest of the county by having the citizens of Sandusky pay the same rate. We could have an immediate increase of 30%. It is our fiduciary duty as commissioners to protect that advantage.”
Commissioner Steve Poggiali cut to the heart of the matter: “The elephant in the room is we don’t trust the county and they don’t trust us. Somehow we have to figure out a way to build a bridge so we can build some trust. This might be an opportunity to do that.”
Frustrations surface
Council President and ex officio Mayor Dick Brady pushed back against the county’s approach, pointing out that a regional water agreement has technically existed since 2007, though it has “laid dormant for years.”
“The county has done one of two things,” Brady said. “Either they did not know that this agreement existed, or they chose to end-run around this agreement and come directly to our city manager, and tonight, directly to this commission, to circumvent an agreement already in place.” He added: “I believe this question belongs at the meeting I’ve called as chairman of that board on Sept. 15. The question is: will the county be at that table?”
Commissioner Dave Waddington said communication missteps created unnecessary friction. “It would have been nice if someone picked up the phone,” Waddington said. “Instead, they just sent a letter, and here we are. But they did come to our meeting, and I think that’s a good start.”
The vote
After nearly an hour of back-and-forth, the commission called the question.
The motion, made by Krabill and seconded by Vargo, was simple: Sandusky would agree to participate in talks about a regional water and sewer feasibility study.
The vote: 5–2 in favor. Brady and Waddington voted against the motion
As the meeting closed, Krabill urged colleagues not to overthink the decision. “We’re not engaging an outcome,” he said. “We’re not engaging any cost to this city. We’re simply engaging a conversation, toward hopefully a better future, but certainly a future that is more informed than where we are now.”
After the meeting, Old told StayTunedSandusky.com that the village of Milan also has agreed to talk with county officials about a regional study. Huron has declined to participate, he said, and Vermilion is already in talks with officials in Lorain County about a regionalized system.