Trending
LISBON -- The sewer bill for customers of the recently finished Elkton sanitary sewer extension project will be $8.64 per 1,000 gallons of water used per month, with the rate increasing in July 2027 to $9.07 per 1,000 gallons of water used per month.
Columbiana County Chief Deputy Sanitary Engineer Troy Graft shared a copy of the letter sent out to customers with commissioners on Wednesday, detailing the sewer rates, how to hook in and the fact that the water usage for the new water line will fall under the Buckeye Water District, which will bill customers for water service.
Graft said the letter from the county was notification to the customers that they can now hook into the sanitary sewer system.
The idea of extending water and sewer to the Elkton area was first discussed in 2022 when two Elkrun Township residents came to commissioners to ask what surveyors were doing in their area.
That's when Commissioner Mike Halleck explained that the company Global Pak on Elkton Road was expanding and he thought they're going to need water and sewer, so the idea was being explored and was in the preliminary stages through the county engineer's office at that time.
The water and sewer line extensions will serve Global Pak and a dozen households in the Elkton area.
When the bids were finally let in 2024, Graft said the county received approval to install a utility bridge to bring the water and sewer lines over the Little Beaver Creek, which has the designation of a Wild & Scenic River.
The project was to include 2,400 feet of force main for the sewer which is being pumped to the county's treatment plant near Elkton and a water line extension stretching 6,000 feet from Scroggs Road out to Elkton.
After the commissioners' meeting, Graft said the residents were told the Elkrun Township Trustees had funding set aside to assist with connections to the sanitary sewer system, with a letter sent by trustees with details.
Residents will have 180 days to tie on to the new sewer system, with monthly billing starting on March 31, 2027. The minimum billing is 2,000 gallons per month. The sewer bill will reflect the costs for treatment, operation, maintenance and repairs.
The water line built will be transferred to the Buckeye Water District, with customers expected to receive a letter from the BWD about tapping into the water line.
The letter from Graft also talks about the need to new sewer customers to abandon their existing septic systems, which is handled through the Columbiana County Health District which permits and inspects the abandonment. A plumbing inspection will also be required.
To get the sewer tap-in, he said a permit must be secured from county water and sewer through the engineer's office. Property owners must secure their own contractor to install the service line, with Graft suggesting getting three quotes.
The commissioners also approved permits to Charter/Spectrum for fiber option line installations on sections of the following roads: Valley Road in Butler Township; Teegarden Road in Center Township; Fairfield School Road in Fairfield Township, two sections of Leetonia Road in Salem Township; and two sections of Lisbon Road in Salem Township.
Rudzik Excavating, Inc received permission to temporarily park and store construction and company vehicles, equipment and materials on county-owned property between Old state Route 14 and West Salem Street while working on the Joshua Dixon and West Salem Street sanitary sewer replacement project.
Commissioners followed the recommendations of county Department of Job and Family Services Director Rachel Ketterman for several DJFS contracts and the hiring of Alexandria Gordon of Toronto as an eligibility referral specialist I in the public assistance division.
Contracts approved, all from Oct. 1, 2026 to Sept. 30, 2027, with federal funding, included: Community Action Rural Transit System for Ohio Works First (cash assistance) client and applicant commute services, spending ceiling $15,000; Counseling Center for Project SAFE (parenting classes for children services clients), spending ceiling $88,191; Columbiana County Juvenile Court, magistrate services for child support enforcement program, spending ceiling $292,641; Columbiana County Common Pleas Court, magistrate services for child support enforcement program, spending ceiling $145,365; Columbiana County Clerk of Courts, clerking services for child support enforcement program, spending ceiling $59,093; and Columbiana County Prosecutor, legal services for child support enforcement program, spending ceiling $290,692.
The next meeting of county commissioners will be 9 a.m. Oct. 7 in the downtown courthouse.