The Dearborn County Council approved an amendment to the interlocal agreement with the town of Aurora to add county MS4 (municipal separate storm sewer system) coordination services.
Sandy Whitehead, who identified herself as the county MS4 coordinator, told the council she will be part of the interlocal arrangement and that the town and planning and zoning have agreed to a fee increase of roughly 3 to 4% after holding the prior rate steady for three years. Whitehead said the county does not yet know the full workload impact, but that projects over one acre in Aurora would require stormwater construction permits and could bring additional review and post-construction monitoring responsibilities to the county coordinator.
Council members said they had discussed the proposal during budget hearings and that the county surveyor and planning and zoning leadership were comfortable with the amendment. One council member noted the agreement is a one-year interlocal and the parties will reassess after that period.
Council members moved to approve the interlocal amendment; the motion passed by voice vote.
Whitehead and council members said they will assess workload and any necessary adjustments during the agreement year and return to the council if the county's responsibilities increase materially.