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Granville officials weigh legal, investigative steps as talks with Johnstown stall over Moots Run wastewater plan
Summary
Granville council and staff said a proposed wastewater treatment project on Moots Run remains stalled after Johnstown delayed responding to a draft memorandum of understanding; staff outlined potential public records requests, permit appeals and hiring outside consultants (estimated up to about $100,000) to probe finances and slow the project.
Granville Village officials said Monday they will consider formal investigatory and legal options after Johnstown declined to respond to a draft memorandum of understanding about a proposed wastewater treatment project on Moots Run.
The council heard from staff that Johnstown received the MOU several weeks ago but deferred substantive engagement until after the new year. Village staff said that delay appears to be a stall and that options include filing public records requests, appealing Johnstown’s draft permit with state regulators and hiring an outside consultant to audit Johnstown’s finances to assess whether the project is financially viable. Staff estimated that taking those steps could cost on the order of $100,000 or somewhat less and could delay the project 18–24 months.
“We think it’s starting to get some good traction,” a staff member said about prior outreach, but added later that Johnstown’s lack of response requires the village to consider more formal measures. Council members said the village has tried the “high road” approach in repeated meetings but that repeated delay has strained progress.
Council and staff emphasized they are not asking for a decision immediately but sought to inform members of the range of tools that are available. One councilmember noted that any records request or consultant review could raise confidentiality or redaction issues; staff said they would evaluate those legal limits before proceeding.
Council members discussed keeping most of the strategy in public but acknowledged that pursuing certain lines of inquiry could touch on litigation strategies. A point of order from a council member reminded the body that some discussions might risk moving into attorney–client privileged territory.
The most recent public step, staff said, is to continue outreach while preparing for options if Johnstown remains unresponsive. The council did not take final action at the meeting; a motion to enter executive session under ORC 121.22(G)(3) to confer with the village attorney about pending or imminent court action was made near the end of the meeting.
