Tipp City Council approves sewer capacity fee, new zoning district, utility interconnection rules and park pathway

Tipp City Council on Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, voted unanimously to adopt a package of ordinances and a construction resolution that council members described as routine updates to local codes and infrastructure authorizations.

The actions included an ordinance establishing a capacity fee for future development to help pay for a new regional wastewater treatment plant, creation of an Uptown zoning district for the plaza area, acceptance of certain public improvements completed in Summit Landing Subdivision Section 2, interconnection standards for customer-owned electric generation, a project-specific appendix to those standards for Abbott Laboratories Inc., and an amendment to the city's purchase power cost adjustment calculation. Council also authorized a construction contract for a walking path at Windmere Park.

The sewer capacity fee ordinance, sponsored by Council Member Pittenger, would assess a treatment-plant capacity fee to be collected for remittance to the Tri Cities North Regional Wastewater Authority (the wastewater plant co-owned by Tipp City, Vandalia and Huber Heights). City staff described the fee as approximately $3,500 per equivalent residential unit and said the money would be used to offset about 30% to 35% of the cost of a new plant now being designed. Council adopted the ordinance as Ordinance 12-25 by roll call vote; the vote was recorded as seven yes, zero no (one member previously excused from the meeting).

The council also adopted Ordinance 13-25 to establish an "Uptown 1 (UD-1)" zoning district covering the plaza and Uptown area after the Planning Board's positive recommendation. Ordinance 14-25 accepted completed public improvements in Summit Landing Subdivision Section 2 while a developer's bond retains coverage for remaining minor items, which staff described as some sidewalks and a surface course of asphalt.

On utilities and energy, the council adopted Ordinance 15-25 creating interconnection standards for customer-owned electric generation facilities to govern how homeowners and businesses connect behind the meter and how exported power is handled. Council simultaneously adopted Ordinance 16-25, an appendix to those standards specific to Abbott Laboratories' behind-the-meter combustion project. Council also approved Ordinance 17-25 amending "Rider A," the city's purchase power cost adjustment, to account for changes associated with behind-the-meter generation.

Council approved Resolution 23-25 authorizing the city manager to contract with Cote Construction LLC of Westmont, Ohio, for a walking path in Windmere Park. City staff reported four bids and said the low bid was $104,372, with an awarded NatureWorks grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for $50,062; net cost to the city after reimbursement was reported as just over $54,000.

All motions to adopt the ordinances and the resolution were passed by roll call with the same seven yes votes and no recorded dissents.

Items introduced for first reading included an ordinance to update industrial sewer use regulations (to mirror recent Ohio EPA changes); that item was not acted on beyond first reading.

Council and staff said the items were technical updates or routine capital authorizations and there were no public speakers on the majority of these items during the public hearings. Where public hearings were opened on ordinances, no members of the public spoke and the hearings were closed before votes.

Votes at a glance (adopted items): - Ordinance 12-25: Establish capacity fee for treatment plant (sponsor: Pittenger). Vote: 7-0-0. - Ordinance 13-25: Create Uptown 1 (UD-1) zoning district (sponsor: Rensland). Vote: 7-0-0. - Ordinance 14-25: Accept public improvements, Summit Landing Sec. 2 (sponsor: Slagle). Vote: 7-0-0. - Ordinance 15-25: Adopt interconnection standards for customer-owned generation (sponsor: Enslin). Vote: 7-0-0. - Ordinance 16-25: Adopt appendix to interconnection standards for Abbott Laboratories Inc. (sponsor: Pittenger). Vote: 7-0-0. - Ordinance 17-25: Amend Rider A to purchase power cost adjustment (sponsor: Mayor Rogers). Vote: 7-0-0. - Resolution 23-25: Authorize contract with Cote Construction LLC for Windmere Park walking path ($104,372 low bid; NatureWorks grant $50,062). Vote: 7-0-0.

— The council indicated most of the measures were technical or required by intergovernmental partners and that the ordinances were intended to bring the city into compliance or implement contracts/agreements that had been reviewed by staff and legal counsel. The council took no additional policy direction on these items at the meeting and moved on to citizen comment.