ThisWeek Community Newspapers Marysville
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Committee proposes sewer tap-in discount By LIN RICE ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Marysville City Council’s finance committee has recommended ways to deal with a default in the city’s wastewater fund. Finance director Jenny Chavarria told the committee during its March 17 meeting that while revenue from many of Marysville’s top commercial users of wastewater services has underperformed during the past several years, some of those figures are starting to return to pre-crisis levels. Chavarria said the city’s outstanding wastewater balance is supposed to stay at a minimum of 1.1-percent of revenues over expenditures. “In 2010, we weren’t able to meet that, which technically puts the fund in default, which is a non-payment default,” she said. Malcolm Pirnie Inc., which helped develop Marysville’s mas-
ter plan for future wastewater needs, has been hired to conduct a rate study of the city’s sewers, she added. “We’ve been working with Malcolm Pirnie for two weeks, and there are a few areas that we can tweak to offset a rate increase,” Chavarria said. To maintain the city’s promise to residents of no sewer rate increases in 2011, $1.6-million would be transferred from the city’s Fund 34, an incremental sewer fund that was created for construction of a water reclamation station. An additional $300,000 would also be needed. To raise those funds, the finance committee proposed a discounted rate on 50 tap fees in 2011, offering them for $6,000 each instead of $6,500, with the same deal for 75 tap fees in 2012. In addition, the committee suggested a 50-percent reduction of the city’s summer sewer credit. If enacted, the infusion of funds
would raise Marysville’s wastewater debt coverage to 1.12 percent in 2011, dealing with the default. Committee member Mark Reams said since it looks like the city’s larger commercial usage figures are returning to normal levels, Marysville may just need to hold on over the next year. “It looks like we just have to get over this hump,” Reams said. Committee chairman Nevin Taylor said council must strike a balance between keeping the city attractive to developers and business growth, while also making wastewater services affordable for residents. “We want the city to still be very marketable, but at the same time, stay responsible to every household,” he said. The recommendations will be taken before the full council at this week’s meeting. lrice@thisweeknews.com www.ThisWeekNews.com
March 20, 2011
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‘Union County Cares’ to help Japan relief efforts An initiative called “Union County Cares” has been established to offer help to those in Japan dealing with the aftermath of last week’s catastrophic earthquake and tsunami. “Union County Cares” is a unified show of monetary support for the people of Japan, along with friends and associates of Honda of America Mfg. Inc., according to county commissioner Charles Hall. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Japan at this time and with our friends at Honda,” Hall said. The community has established two methods for businesses, employees and residents to contribute through the Union County Foundation and
the Union County chapter of the American Red Cross, tourism director Candace Watson said. “This is a Union County community effort, and we encourage Union County businesses, organizations and community members to help where possible,” said Jacquey Yoder, president of the Union County Chamber of Commerce. Donations may be made through the websites of either the Union County Foundation (www.unioncountyfoundation.org) or the Union County chapter of the American Red Cross (www.unioncountyarc.org). Additional donation information is available online at www.unioncountycares.com. — Lin Rice
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County may tie into MORPC’s regional bike trail system By LIN RICE ThisWeek Community Newspapers
While it’s fairly easy to hop on a motorcycle and ride from Marysville to Cincinnati, it’s much more difficult on a bicycle — but there is a move underway in Union County to change that. Several groups recently met to determine the best way to tie Union County into the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission’s (MORPC) proposed regional trail system. “We invited ODNR (Ohio Department of Natural Resources) and MORPC in to talk about the planning and the implementation,” said Eric Phillips, Union County Chamber of Commerce CEO. Also in on the discussion are the city of Marysville, county commissioners, representatives of the metro parks system, the Logan Union Champaign (LUC) planning commission and several other public bodies, Phillips said. “The plan is to include a bikeways map in the county comprehensive plan, and then move forward from there,” he said. “We
A closer look While Union County already has some bikeways, plans call for new routes from Richwood to Liberty Township and from Liberty Township into the northern sector of Marysville, along with a number of bikeways running south out of Marysville past the Darby Creek Golf Course, Jerome Township Park and Pasttime Park.
would then go to Marysville, Plain City and other locations in the county and prioritize where those trails are needed.” MORPC aims to increase the number of useable bikeways throughout central Ohio as a way to prepare for future population growth. Designing the system includes considering the needs of both advanced riders and beginners, allowing for low speeds, well-defined separation from roadways, direct access to destinations and other needs for cyclists, all of which are mapped out in
MORPC’s regional bicycle transportation plan. While Union County already has some bikeways, plans call for new routes from Richwood to Liberty Township and from Liberty Township into the northern sector of Marysville, along with a number of bikeways running south out of Marysville past the Darby Creek Golf Course, Jerome Township Park and Pasttime Park. The trails running south out of the county could be tied into MORPCs overall bikeways plan, providing access to Columbus, or even connected to trail systems going as far south as Cincinnati. Phillips said the chamber is in the process of meeting with a consultant to determine the most efficient way to construct bikeways through Union County, as well as meeting with property owners and the county to discuss right-of-way issues. More details about MORPC’s bike trails plan can be found online at www.morpc.org.
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