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Commissioners discuss proposed release of four Cox Smith Road parcels to Greater Cincinnati Water Works; urge homeowner notice on annexation costs
Summary
County officials reviewed a request to release four parcels on Cox Smith Road from Warren County’s water-service territory so Greater Cincinnati Water Works can supply public water using City of Mason infrastructure; commissioners urged staff to notify affected residents about annexation costs and to place such requests on the regular agenda rather than consent agenda.
Warren County officials discussed a request from Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW) to amend county water-service territory to allow GCWW to serve four parcels on Cox Smith Road using City of Mason infrastructure.
County staff said the proposed amendment would be the eighth release of territory to GCWW in recent years. The parcels represent three property owners and are contiguous to Mason’s corporate limits. County officials and commissioners raised several concerns: the one-page pre-annexation agreement residents are asked to sign does not spell out all financial consequences, Mason may require annexation at an unspecified future date, and property owners could face several costs including legal and engineering fees for annexation, tap fees, private lateral installation costs and Mason’s payroll tax. The transcript records a referenced payroll-tax rate of 1.12% and a 150% user-rate charge to GCWW customers until annexation is perfected.
Bruce (surname not specified) and county staff described the process: the Water Department receives a request from GCWW asking that specific parcels be released from Warren County’s service territory so GCWW may provide service. The county has previously approved similar amendments; commissioners approved a seventh amendment last month to release one property. Staff and commissioners noted there is no guaranteed timeline for Mason to require annexation; prior cases sometimes took 10 years or more.
Several commissioners said they support letting residents request public water if they understand the full implications. One county official proposed that, when the county receives requests to release territory, the item be placed on the regular agenda (not the consent agenda) and that county staff invite affected residents to the meeting so commissioners can confirm what residents have been told and whether they understand annexation obligations. Board members agreed that providing notice and an opportunity to be heard would be appropriate; no formal vote to change procedure was recorded.
No vote on the eighth amendment to release the four parcels was recorded in the transcript; staff said the amendment had been presented to the Water Department and would be brought to the board for action in the usual process.
