County counsel: research underway for potential condemnation of Bel Air Pinto water system

County counsel told commissioners that two closed‑session topics produced legal advice and direction: a proposed condemnation action to take the Bel Air Pinto Highland and Glen Oaks water and sewer systems and a proposed settlement over an alleged PPG overpayment for sewer services.

Attorney Beeman read the closed‑session statement: counsel presented legal advice about the procedural requirements to exercise eminent domain on a private utility and discussed potential litigation strategies. "Staff and counsel were directed to continue their research in preparation for a condemnation action to be presented at a future public business meeting," Beeman said.

At the public meeting members followed up: Beeman said the first formal step will be a resolution of condemnation the board would consider at its next meeting; that resolution would declare a public need and trigger negotiations toward a fair‑value offer, and—if negotiations fail—could be followed by filing a condemnation action in circuit court.

Why it matters: the board’s move toward condemnation signals an escalation in the county’s response to ongoing water‑service problems in the Bel Air area and sets a legal process in motion that could lead to transfer of the utility to county control. Commissioners and members of the public have repeatedly raised affordability and service reliability concerns for customers in the affected districts.

Beeman emphasized the process steps and timelines that the county must follow if it proceeds: a public resolution, a fair‑value offer to the owner, and court filings only if negotiations do not produce an agreement.