East Canton council discusses making property owners responsible for utility accounts, solicitor to draft ordinance

Councilors discussed a recurring problem in which apartment turnovers leave the village without a final customer read or an identified payer for unpaid utilities. A councilor asked whether the village could require utility accounts to be in the property owner’s name to simplify collections and allow the village to place a lien when necessary.

Solicitor Mr. Babby (recorded in the meeting) said it is not uncommon for municipal utilities to require accounts be in the owner’s name and that the owner can provide a courtesy copy to tenants. He offered to prepare legislation to amend water-service rules to require utilities be in the property owner’s name but warned the council that House Bill 92 — which the transcript says has passed the Ohio House and is pending in the Ohio Senate — could render that authority inapplicable if enacted.

Councilors also discussed related enforcement issues: problems with multiple garbage companies being used at the same address, unlicensed vehicles, on-street parking that impedes traffic on narrow streets, and mud and soil tracked onto village roads by nearby hauling operations. Councilors asked the solicitor to generate zoning-enforcement forms and considered an approach of issuing warnings first, then escalating to citations. For the truck-hauling issue, councilors discussed sending a demand letter to the business and, if necessary, pursuing court action or an injunction; they also noted potential involvement by Township authorities or Soil & Water.

No ordinance vote occurred at the meeting. Solicitor Babby agreed to draft potential legislation for council consideration, and staff were asked to pursue enforcement forms and follow up on the road-impact concerns.