Greene County commissioners on Aug. 7 approved an agreement with Mount Pleasant Black Topping Company Incorporated intended to settle a dispute over a defective sewer installation in the Landings at Sugar Creek subdivision. The agreement has been executed by the contractor and includes repairs and a $75,000 deposit to the county.

County staff said the sewer line had not passed final inspection and included "bellies" — sections of pipe that can collect material. The contractor and the developer have been in litigation, and the agreement requires the contractor to fix the manhole in question and realign it properly with the road. The contractor also delivered a $75,000 payment "that will cover any additional cleanings that we're going to have to do down the road," a county staff member said.

The staff member clarified that there is no restriction or separate accounting for how the $75,000 will be spent; the money will be deposited into the county sanitary fund. "There's no restriction on how we spend that money or when we spend that money," the staff member said. The agreement is intended to resolve the county's dispute about the section of the sewer line and allow development of adjacent parcels that had been blocked pending resolution.

County staff said additional maintenance may be necessary over the life of the line because it was not installed properly. The board approved the agreement and authorized the county administrator to sign the document.

Commissioners were told that approving the agreement would allow remaining lots in the subdivision and an adjacent parcel to proceed with development; without the settlement, development of the adjacent parcel could not move forward.