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Commissioners amend language and approve petition authorization to pursue regional sewer district process
Summary
The board authorized staff to prepare a petition to establish a DeKalb County Regional Sewer District with one amendment: language about 'septic elimination' was revised to 'septic elimination process where appropriate' before approval to avoid implying countywide elimination of septic systems.
DeKalb County commissioners on May 26 authorized staff to prepare and later file a petition with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) to form a regional sewer district, after amending a paragraph that had raised concern from one commissioner.
A consultant explained the petition package includes maps, letters of support and exhibits from public hearings and that the authorization is a routine step in the formation process. One paragraph in the draft resolution described a long‑standing need for "septic elimination"; a commissioner objected, saying he had not agreed to language that implied countywide removal of septic systems.
After discussion, commissioners approved an amendment adding the words "process where appropriate" after "septic elimination." The amendment was made to clarify the petition language would address septic systems only where appropriate and based on the county’s 2019 septic‑issues collaborative report. A motion to accept the revision and move forward carried 3‑0.
The consultant said the formal petition package would be assembled and that commissioners would later sign the petition itself when it is ready for submission to IDEM. Commissioners emphasized the authorization does not itself create infrastructure or require immediate construction; it simply starts the planning and application process.
Public commenters raised transparency and cost questions and urged the county to consider modern on‑site septic technologies as alternatives; commissioners acknowledged those concerns and asked staff to continue public outreach as the project advances.
