Hancock County sewer board weighs depositing $75,000 and advances plans for Maxwell wastewater project

The Hancock County Regional Water and Sewer District board discussed how to handle a $75,000 check tied to a 9 Star subdivision agreement and reviewed planning and funding options for a proposed Maxwell-area wastewater project at an informational meeting. The board did not take a formal vote to accept funds or obligate the district.

The board's CPA (Speaker 1) said the recently completed 200 West wastewater project is "100% completed" and described how the county had collected about $1,500 per new connection; the first 50 connections generated roughly $75,000 in receipts. The CPA advised that, if the district formally holds funds, it will need separate books, a separate bank account and an audit, and someone to manage those records.

"We have that check that we want to get put in somewhere," a committee member (Speaker 5) said, asking whether a resolution by Scott Behnke was needed to deposit the funds. Board members discussed holding the money in the county general fund temporarily while schematic designs and a plan are completed. The CPA recommended waiting to open a separate district bank account until the board has a fuller plan and staffing identified.

George Polzinski, vice president of engineering for 9 Star, gave a detailed presentation on wastewater and water infrastructure across Hancock County and the proposed Maxwell project. Polzinski said the 200 West effort was about 4.5 miles of construction with three lift stations and a project cost over $9 million, and that Mohawk Trails (a 105-lot subdivision on the east side of 200 West) had contributed the per-lot fee that produced the $75,000 check.

Polzinski described the Maxwell-area plan and related preliminary engineering work: the county and partners jointly prepared a preliminary engineering report (PER) and submitted it to the State Revolving Fund (SRF). He said the PER later scored 97 on SRF's scale and, as he explained it, would have ranked among the top fundable projects in the round. "Had we been in this, we would have been for this year's round of funding, we would have been 5 points higher than anybody else in the state of Indiana," Polzinski said.

Polzinski summarized the proposed project scope and costs: an SBR wastewater treatment plant on roughly 17 acres, gravity mains and a large interceptor along State Road 9, laterals included in SRF cost estimates, and a total probable cost he cited between $20.7 million and $21.8 million (the difference reflects whether land acquisition is included). He also said the team expects roughly $1.4 million in preclosing costs that must be funded before an SRF loan could close.

Polzinski advocated pairing wastewater with a companion water initiative (nicknamed "Heartland Horizons") that would install water mains alongside wastewater corridors; he said the team has permit capacity for a 3.3 million-gallon-per-day withdrawal from five wells but still needs to build treatment and storage to serve the corridor. He also noted public-health rationale for the project: a letter referenced from Dr. Olin documented past E. coli contamination in private wells in the Maxwell area, which the PER seeks to address by retiring failing septic systems.

Board members discussed funding options, including SRF loans, TIF (tax increment financing) as a likely primary source, and county-backed debt or property-tax backup if necessary. The CPA said the county has not obligated the district to the project and recommended further design work and coordination with the RDC and county council before any debt is taken on. The board agreed to a Teams meeting with engineers (Wessler) to chart next steps and to remain copied on project emails; the county will hold the $75,000 in the general fund for now.

No formal vote was taken on accepting or transferring the $75,000; a motion to adjourn was made later in the meeting, seconded, and approved. The board indicated it was "not opposed" to proceeding with further study but deferred final decisions until additional design, funding and legal details are prepared.