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St. Joseph County district to probe septic permit, considers temporary exemption for homeowner
Summary
Board members discussed a homeowner’s case after a property in the district received a new septic system despite being within the district’s service area; the board asked staff to verify permit and installation history and to require a new inspection before any exemption is granted.
Board members spent an extended portion of their meeting discussing a homeowner’s dispute over connection fees and a recently installed septic system.
An unidentified board member described the case: the property was sold in 2020 by the Tiffany Group to Anna Bednarik, who discovered the septic system had been replaced and was now functioning. The board said prior owner payments — about $118.25 monthly over several years, totaling roughly $6,000 — complicated the account of who should pay for connection or availability fees. The speaker said, “Im not your lawyer, but Im telling you, you may want to hire a lawyer,” relaying advice given to the homeowner during the initial call. (Speaker attribution is based on the meeting transcript; the homeowner did not appear to speak directly at length in the recorded segments provided.)
Board members debated options including granting a time-limited exemption from connection fees, using funds collected from the prior owner to offset a future hook-up cost, or lending the connection cost to the homeowner and recovering it through billing. One board member said an exemption’s minimum term would likely be 10 years. The board repeatedly emphasized the need to verify whether a health-department permit had been issued for the replacement system and who actually installed it before taking final action: “If there was a permit, and then it got inspected before it failed, would you remove the requirement that she has it inspected today?” one member asked.
Next steps the board directed staff to pursue: check the health departmentpermit history for the site, identify who installed the system, confirm pumping and maintenance records, and verify the homeowneris willing to allow a new inspection if an exemption is considered. Staff was also asked to pause billing to the homeowner while the inquiry proceeds. The board said it would consider a conditional exemption but would attach a requirement for a new inspection to ensure the system was installed properly and is functioning.
