FAQs • Adams County, IN • CivicEngage

Some of us Senior Citizens want to stay in our own homes and you make that hard to do when you increase our overhead. We need to put in a new well. How will this affect us?: "Following your connection to the proposed municipal sewer, the area that used to provide for the disposal of your sewage will provide additional opportunities to site a new well. Water supply will not be affected or impacted by the proposed project. Draining sewage from a septic tank to a county or state waterway contributes to stream pollution and violates state and federal laws and the county sewage ordinance. Property owners need to be aware that homes are becoming more difficult to sell if they are not in compliance with environmental laws or are contributing to a public health hazard."

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ACRSD

1. What authority does this board have to impose this project on the residents?: “Indiana Code IC 13-26-1 through IC 13-26-14 gives legally established sewer district boards the authority to address pollution control projects. The powers and duties of such boards are listed in IC 13-26-5-2.”

2. Who empowered this board?: “Pursuant to IC 13-26, the Adams County Commissioners, upon the recommendation of the Adams County Board of Health, petitioned the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) for an order directing the “Adams County Regional Sewer District” to be organized. Resolutions to support and approve the petition were signed by the Adams County Board of Health on December 3, 2008, and by the Adams County Council on December 9, 2008. The Adams County Commissioners signed the request for IDEM to approve the petition on December 9, 2008. Upon a lengthy review by IDEM, which included opportunity for public comment, IDEM Commissioner, Thomas Easterly, ordered the district be organized on September 24, 2009 and the order became effective after a required 33-day waiting period.”

3. Is there a local government such as the State or County government that can manage these projects and have the cost included in the property tax structure, thus spreading the cost to all?: “No. It is “user-oriented”. Taxes cannot be used for Regional Sewer Districts.”

4. How will you protect the home owners in the event of long power outages?: "Each of the District's primary pump stations will be equipped with emergency power equipment."

5. When completed - who owns the sewer line?: "The District will own, operate and maintain the proposed collection systems for the duration of the proposed USDA-RD loan."

6. Who maintains the line and equipment?: "Again, this will remain the District's responsibility for the term of the loan."

7. Why are we being billed for a service that we are not receiving yet?: State Statute allows the Sewer District to begin billing the full rate as soon as the project begins. For Project 1, the interim rate of $27.35 was imposed beginning December of 2016. The full rate of $93.30 will be imposed for the month of June 2017. Additional information regarding the rates can be found under Ordinance 2016-1.

8. Who gets what part of the monthly sewer fee?: "The proposed monthly user fee is comprised of 3 components. A portion of the bill goes to repay the debt associated with the capital costs for the project. The second portion of the bill covers the costs associated with the operation, maintenance, administrative and replacement costs associated with the sewer utility. The final component of the bill pays for the treatment costs associated with the disposal of each area's sewage."

9. There are an awful lot of homes out here. Why should it cost each of us so much?: "The estimated project costs are based upon current construction costs as well as estimated professional fees. Total project costs are assumed to be borne equally by all of the targeted beneficiaries."

10. What about all the homes that will be built after this is done, what are they going to pay?: "Policy question for the board yet to be determined. The District will enact a rate ordinance that will provide for this post-construction connection situation."

11. If your sewer system has been updated recently, why would you have to hook into the new one?: "IC 13-26-5-2.5 provides for a septic system exemption to connection, provided the septic system is an approved onsite system that is in full compliance with Indiana State Department of Health Rule 410 IAC 6-8.1. However, this simply delays the eventual connection to the proposed sanitary sewer system."

12. Some of us Senior Citizens want to stay in our own homes and you make that hard to do when you increase our overhead. We need to put in a new well. How will this affect us?: "Following your connection to the proposed municipal sewer, the area that used to provide for the disposal of your sewage will provide additional opportunities to site a new well. Water supply will not be affected or impacted by the proposed project. Draining sewage from a septic tank to a county or state waterway contributes to stream pollution and violates state and federal laws and the county sewage ordinance. Property owners need to be aware that homes are becoming more difficult to sell if they are not in compliance with environmental laws or are contributing to a public health hazard."

13. What is the procedure to connect to the District Sewage Collection System?: If you are interested in establishing connection to an existing sewer line of the ACRSD, please see Resolution 2020-04 and submit the Petition To Connect to the ACRSD Office located at 313 West Jefferson Street, Room 257 B, Decatur, Indiana 46733 or to Becky Cochran's Office at 165 N. 2nd Street, Decatur, Indian 46733