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Out‑of‑town owner asks to tap Palmyra pump station; board weighs annexation or petition
Summary
Nicole Hendrickx asked to connect a property a mile outside Palmyra to the town sewer to avoid rebuilding septic; the board discussed annexation versus petitioning to join the utility and the need for a clear policy for out‑of‑town hookups and unpaid existing connections.
A property owner outside Palmyra asked the board for permission to connect to a town pump station rather than replace a failing septic system, prompting the board to outline two paths: annexation into town limits or a formal petition to join the municipal utility.
Nicole Hendrickx identified herself as co‑owner and said the connection to the nearby pump station would be gravity‑fed "there [is] no need for pump or anything," and that they would pay the costs to tie in. Board members explained that standard practice has been to require annexation in some cases (as the Boys & Girls Club previously did), but acknowledged a petition process exists to connect a property to the utility without full annexation.
Members raised a related concern: staff said there appear to be other properties hooked to the town sewer that have never paid sewer fees. "There's people hooking to our sewer that we're unaware of that's not paying fees," a board member said, and the board discussed the fairness issue for taxpayers who do pay.
The board directed staff to research how other towns and the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission treat these requests, including fee assessment and possible ordinance language about easement restoration and non‑annexation hookups. The board indicated a likely solution will involve a formal petition and clarified fee and administrative requirements to be reported back at the next meeting.
