Public objections raised as council hears engineer presentation on proposed Blackford County sewer district; no final approval taken

An engineer representing project consultants presented plans and asked the Blackford County Council for approval to create the proposed Blackford County Sewer District, but a property-owners’ representative said petitions filed under state law would void formation and the council took no motion to approve the district at the meeting.

A public speaker identified in the record as "Mister Layman" told the council he spoke for property owners opposing formation and said petitions were submitted “under Indiana Code 13-26-2-3.5,” which the speaker said voided the district formation. The speaker added that a named property owner, Mark Shear, could not attend but had authorized the comment.

After the consultant—identified as a representative of Commonwealth Engineers—gave a brief presentation and offered to answer questions, the council chair asked for a motion to approve creation of the sewer district. No motion was made during the meeting. The engineer indicated he was available to answer questions and that the matter had been discussed previously.

Council members did not take formal action to create the district at this session. The public objection and the consultant presentation were entered into the record and will appear in the official minutes; any future formal action would appear on a subsequent agenda.