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Erie County to seek engineering study on regionalizing water and sewer services
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Summary
At its April 15 meeting, commissioners said they will issue an RFQ for an engineering firm to study the feasibility of regionalized water and sewer services with Sandusky, Huron, Vermilion and the Village of Milan; county leaders said conversion would not be forced on septic users.
Erie County commissioners announced April 15 that the county will issue a Request for Qualifications to hire an engineering firm to study the feasibility of regionalizing water and sewer services with nearby municipalities including the cities of Sandusky, Huron and Vermilion and the Village of Milan. Commissioner Old said the entities have provided enough information and interest to move to a formal study phase.
Commissioner Old clarified the county would not force any municipal government into regionalization and that residents currently on septic systems would not be required to convert to public sewer if a regional system were established. "The County will not be forcing regionalization on any entity," he said, describing the RFQ step as exploratory and intended to gather technical analysis and cost estimates.
Commissioner Shoffner said he appreciated the cooperative approach among the local governments and described the effort as a potential means to reduce duplication and improve service delivery if the study supports that outcome. No formal vote to bind municipalities was taken; the RFQ is an exploratory procurement step.
Next steps indicated at the meeting include issuing the RFQ, receiving proposals from engineering firms, and then scheduling further review and public discussion as the study work proceeds.