Greene County utility board reviews hookup disputes, Briar Ridge connection and delays territory expansion vote

The Greene County utility district board approved its meeting minutes and financial report and spent the session reviewing system operations, a disputed private water hookup and a developer’s paid connection for a new Briar Ridge Innovation Park project — then deferred formal action on an expansion of district territory until Sept. 2 while staff seeks a joint application with the township trustee.

The financial report, presented during the meeting, showed recent receipts and payments and a year-to-date rise in contractual spending tied to a State Board of Accounts audit, a billing service fee and engineering work. The presenter said the district’s current cash balance was about $52,000 as of the day before the meeting. “We’ve had a few hookup fee payments — I think the biggest one was enhanced, paid their fee,” the finance presenter said.

District operations staff reported progress on two wastewater pump installations and work to replace parts at a farm lift station, and described a recent inspection of a private production facility that staff believe was illegally tied into the district’s water service. Operations staff said the facility had a residential meter for bathrooms while the building’s main production water line had been tied directly into the system without a meter. The staff member recalled telling the facility representative he would notify the water company, and that the water company then contacted the facility within minutes. “I told him upfront, this wasn’t gonna be no sneak attack,” the operations speaker said, describing the call to the water company.

Board members and staff also discussed a newly paid connection fee from a developer calling its site Briar Ridge Innovation Park LLC. District staff said the applicant purchased two adjacent lots and filed a hookup application that was accepted as a residential equivalent dwelling unit (EDU) filing despite the developer planning 25,000–30,000 square feet of speculative warehouse/office flex space. Staff said the developer may have anticipated an initial residential-level sizing but that the building is more likely to require domestic wastewater service below the district’s commercial thresholds. The district’s review noted uncertainty over whether the connection should have been classified as commercial under the county ordinance, and staff signaled the district may need to clarify its ordinance language about commercial triggers and EDU classification going forward. Derek Young (identified in materials as a principal in the project) and a business partner, Brent Kress, were mentioned as principals associated with the purchase; the transcript records them as principals but they did not speak at the meeting.

On territory expansion, staff asked the board to delay considering a petition to expand the district’s service area to include Taylor Township while staff attempts to secure a joint application with the township trustee. A staff member said the trustee may be the proper applicant and that the board’s resolution would follow once the trustee and commissioners sign on; staff asked the board to table the matter until Sept. 2. The staff member added they would not be present at the board’s October meeting.

Formal motions recorded in the meeting included approval of minutes and approval of the financial report; both motions were seconded and approved by voice vote. A motion to adjourn was made and carried. The transcript does not record roll-call vote counts for the motions.

Details of note from the meeting: the district paid a yearly billing-service fee (recorded as ZipTilly in meeting materials) and earlier paid for a State Board of Accounts audit, which the finance presenter said accounted for roughly $8,000 of increased contractual spending this year. The finance presenter also noted an advance repayment to a redevelopment commission under a new agreement as a factor in higher year-to-date outlays. Staff identified some ambiguity in whether newly connected or previously connected properties should be charged residential or commercial hook-up fees under existing ordinance language; staff recommended a review and clarification.

The board did not take final action on territory expansion and left that item to appear again on the agenda for the Sept. 2 meeting pending the township trustee’s response.

The board’s next steps include following up on the alleged illegal water hookup with the water company, clarifying EDU/connection classifications in the district ordinance, and continuing planned pump and lift-station installations. Several staff and board members noted they would inspect other sites for similar unauthorized connections.