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[0:14] service committee. >> Service committee called to order at

[0:19] 5:00 pm. Members present Chris Maritz chair Cody Scott Taylor Spiegel

[0:24] [clears throat] Robert Taylor. First up, I do want to apologize for having this

[0:28] special meeting because uh we're trying to do things a little

[0:31] different up here and I got messages across to how we wanted to get it done.

[0:37] So, that's why we're in this meeting tonight to try to fix

[0:41] my mistakes that I screwed up on and I apologize for that. Uh solid waste waste

[0:46] rates are up first and I'm going to do a public participation on each one of

[0:50] these starting out before we ask for legislation.

[0:57] » Greg White 1125 Hill Chris Drive. So, I thought we were going to wait on until

[1:04] we got more information about how we're going to charge people

[1:08] for the trash rates until the administration brought forth more

[1:12] information about how much of these trucks are going to cost us.

[1:15] » I think that's a different that's a different one.

[1:17] » Okay. But the the solid waste or we going to we going to change

[1:20] » solid waste rates first. >> Okay. Okay. So, uh let me ask you this.

[1:24] So, are we going to change the section that I think needs to be changed on

[1:28] cubic yard dumping? Are we going to change that today or we just

[1:33] » That is not That is not on the on the other

[1:35] » That's not on the agenda either today. >> Wow. Okay. Because I mean it was just

[1:40] vague. It didn't specifically state what was, you know, on the thing. So, all

[1:45] right. Thank you. >> Yep.

[1:49] » Any more public participation? I can't even say that today. I'm so damn tired.

[1:52] [laughter] Without seeing any more public

[1:56] participation, I would like to uh see if I can get a motion to

[2:02] amend section 999, the rate tables of the BCO, and increase the solid waste

[2:09] rates by $1 per month, both residential and commercial

[2:16] accounts as an emergency.

[2:21] Is that amount right? >> I thought we were going I thought we

[2:25] were going to $2. I thought we were going to

[2:28] » I thought it was just one. >> It's just $1.

[2:30] » $2 was discussed, but it ended up being $1.

[2:34] » Did you look at that chart? >> Yeah, I know. I understand the chart,

[2:37] but I emailed Dylan about because I asked a question during

[2:42] that last meeting. >> Solid waste and storm mix.

[2:47] » Okay. >> Yeah, storm sewer is different.

[2:48] » Gotcha. I apologize. Guys, I did that last time, too, didn't I?

[2:51] » Yeah. >> It's all right. All right.

[2:53] » That's okay. >> I'll just All right.

[2:55] » Starts with an S. I make a motion to uh to amend section 9999.

[3:01] » Terry Speels uh first. Do I get a second?

[3:05] » So moved. >> Rob Taylor second. All in favor?

[3:10] » I. >> Motion passes.

[3:16] » Up next is Storm Rider. That is what we're talking about, right?

[3:19] » Uh, also again, I want to do public participation first. Anybody want public

[3:23] participation on that? >> Do we know why we're raising these

[3:26] rates? >> Yes, we do. It was discussed in

[3:29] Thursday's meeting. Uh, Tommy, you want to go through that? You probably know it

[3:32] better than I do as far as why we're raising these rates after 23 years.

[3:37] » I mean, it seems like our bill goes up every month. I mean, it's ridiculous.

[3:42] So, why? It's crazy. And I can take a stab it if you

[3:47] want to, but you probably know it better than I do why why it happened.

[3:56] Thomas, our safety director. Um, the reason we're raising the rates is the we

[4:00] have not raised these rates in 23 years for the storm water. They've gone from

[4:05] two or $4 to $6 just for the storm water. And then there's going to be an

[4:12] additional 60 cents next year. in order to get a loan, in order to do

[4:18] what we need to do for storm water separation on the south end of town.

[4:23] It's the reason we're raising these rates

[4:26] » and big culvert going in and it's going to separate almost 480

[4:32] um acres of land of water separation >> for somebody else or what?

[4:39] » No, that's our it's the cities of Biruses. Yeah, the EPA is enforcing and

[4:44] the >> EPA is enforcing this. Yeah, exactly.

[4:48] So, >> they don't give loans, huh?

[4:50] » That is that is with the loan. That's the only reason we can get a loan is

[4:53] with with that increase. >> Again, this is 23 years kicking a can

[5:00] down the road. >> Y

[5:03] » now we're at where we're at now. >> We all got to, you know, suffer more. We

[5:08] should have been doing this all alone for 23 years.

[5:13] With that being said, like see if I can get a motion to

[5:19] » Can I read this email real quick? >> Yeah, go ahead.

[5:21] » So, I had asked the question to Dylan in the last meeting because I was obviously

[5:26] confused about I was confusing storm water rates and trash rates and

[5:30] everything. So, he I emailed him this week and he got back with me.

[5:35] Um, and I because [clears throat] the numbers didn't add up to me as far as

[5:39] percentage in that letter that was attached to the top of that packet. Uh,

[5:43] the percentage was 25% just to catch up with inflation and 35%

[5:50] to keep us on track with the with the loan that we're going to get. We can go

[5:55] back and look at the I'm telling you 25% 35% 60%.

[6:00] Every time I do it, I've done it three times now.

[6:03] So, I emailed Dylan about [clears throat] that and here's the

[6:06] answer I got. All to say yes, a larger increase up to 75% could easily be

[6:12] justified with those numbers. But we felt for the time being that the

[6:17] requested increase 50% immediately, 10% in 2027, and 3% every year for the

[6:25] inflation adjustment were adequate based on the on the projects we have planned.

[6:32] And since we are not proposing the 75% increase on a project of this magnitude,

[6:37] which is a 30-year loan project, we will just need to save the funds for

[6:44] longer to make the project viable.

[6:49] So my question is does anyone have any faith in any

[6:57] government entity regardless of who's in charge of it saving that money?

[7:03] So are we going to find ourselves in this situation

[7:07] in 10 or 15 years that that money we supposed to have been saving on that 50%

[7:12] increase plus the 10% plus the 3% 3% 3% Robert, that that storm water fee goes

[7:20] into a special fund. Nobody can ever touch that. It can't go to general fund.

[7:24] It can't go to the sewage fund. It cannot go to the water fund. It has to

[7:28] stay right there in that fund and be used.

[7:29] » No, I I understand either.

[7:32] » They can't get No, >> they can't. Nobody touches that.

[7:34] » Yeah, I understand they're separate funds.

[7:40] But I I guess my question is is it is this

[7:45] is this incremental increase enough?

[7:50] » Not that I want to raise it any higher. I'm just wondering if we're not going to

[7:54] have to go through this whole rigo and and

[7:56] » hopefully we don't have four more years like we did the past four years to where

[8:00] interest rates went crazy. Now we're down to a decent interest rate, right?

[8:04] Hopefully we don't get anything like that again to where it could kick us in

[8:07] the rear end and we have to do it. But >> as long as it straight stay where

[8:10] they're at now, this should be >> I think so.

[8:13] » Okay. >> It should be enough.

[8:14] » All right. >> As long as we don't get that problem

[8:16] again. If that h if that happens again, >> right,

[8:19] » it's going to be up to next administration or this administration

[8:22] whenever it happens, >> right?

[8:23] » To um have to look into >> maybe changing that again. Hopefully, we

[8:28] won't have to, but >> the way it looks at least next for the

[8:31] next three years anyway, >> right,

[8:32] » we're going to have good interest rates. >> Okay. Thank you. Anything else from

[8:38] anybody? Seeing that, I'd like to um

[8:43] see if I can get a motion to amend BC BC 927-05

[8:52] by increasing storm water rates 50% which is two bucks for the remainder of

[8:58] the calendar year for 2026, 10% for calendar year 2027, and then an

[9:05] additional increase of 3% each year after that. as an emergency.

[9:12] » So move. >> Second.

[9:15] » Terry Spagle first. Rob Taylor second.

[9:21] All in favor? >> I

[9:24] » I motion passes

[9:36] onto a long-term contract.

[9:41] But with uh I don't know why I have such trouble with this name.

[9:44] » Arcadus. >> Arcadus. I always want to put Y in it

[9:46] when I say it. >> Long-term control plan.

[9:48] » Long-term control plan. Yes. Any public participation on this one?

[9:51] » Man, I do. >> Greg Y 1125 Hillrest Drive. I mean, I

[9:58] understand we got to do this. Uh I'm going back on the thing, too. Is where's

[10:02] the money coming from this back? Let's go back to the money situation on this.

[10:07] Okay, we were told that when we paid for the new water treatment plant, whatever

[10:13] those increases would be, that money could not be touched.

[10:17] » Okay, plain simple. Okay, we we can't touch it. It's been was said in council

[10:23] meetings. I went back to the tapes and it's there. So, if anybody wants to say

[10:27] it's not there, bring it on. >> But we just they just said it again

[10:31] about that one. >> Yep. So, the thing is, I understand we

[10:35] got to do it, but the only thing is I disagree with taking the money out of

[10:38] that fund to pay for that because that was supposed to be used for the

[10:43] wastewater treatment plant. I mean, >> are those not tied together.

[10:46] » They're tied together. >> They're tied. But that's the thing.

[10:48] That's how they're getting around this. They're tying it together.

[10:51] » We have to We have to do the >> I understand.

[10:56] » But I'm going back on what was said when we everybody agreed to this.

[11:01] » Okay. Now it's turned around to where whatever they want to do with it now. So

[11:06] the their gentleman's agreement is like has been brought up before doesn't mean

[11:10] a crap it means anymore with this administration to me. Okay?

[11:15] » Because basically they can do no wrong. They can do whatever they want to with

[11:19] our money. Raise raise rates do whatever they want to without any

[11:25] anything to the taxpayers to say okay enough's enough.

[11:29] » Well, but that's all I got to say. Thanks.

[11:32] » Thank you, sir. >> Um Tom, again, you probably hit on this

[11:37] better than I can, but I'll give it a shot. When we started looking at the

[11:40] wastewater plant because it needed fix again, EPA stepping in. This needs done.

[11:46] And that was with the government EPA at that time.

[11:49] » That was the US EPA. >> US EPA, excuse me, US EPA at that time.

[11:54] » And then down the road, state got involved. the state wanted to come in

[11:58] and come over and take over that part of it which we really wanted to do. It

[12:03] gives us better options down the road. Uh at that time we

[12:08] thought we only needed to do the wastewater plant. This was not part of

[12:13] the original agreement we were going to do with the company was going to do the

[12:16] wastewater plant. >> All the CSOS.

[12:18] » Yeah. All >> but that was the plan all along though,

[12:21] right? to get that done too, >> but it wasn't it wasn't involved in the

[12:25] original >> wastewater.

[12:27] » Yeah. >> No

[12:29] » re ref reabbing of the wastewater plant. >> This needs to be part of it and

[12:33] shouldn't be part of it. >> Yeah. The long-term control plan that

[12:35] right EPA requires us to do is the is getting the uh the storm water out of

[12:41] the system >> and doesn't go to have the CSOS.

[12:45] » It doesn't go to Upper Suski anymore. It >> doesn't doesn't go into the river.

[12:49] That's right. Right. >> Yeah.

[12:52] So, uh, long-term control plan is something we've been working on,

[12:57] » and don't we need we need this these flow meters to determine how big our new

[13:02] plant needs to be. Correct. Yeah, >> that's what that was my

[13:06] » idea what's going on with it. Yes. What's the flow? What's the high flow

[13:09] when it picks up, >> right?

[13:10] » And >> Terry's been in wastewater for number of

[13:14] years. >> More years alive, probably. [laughter]

[13:19] I'm only 25. >> It covers covers everything from if we

[13:22] if we just need to rebuild the clarifiers we got, how many clarifiers

[13:25] we have to add to it. If the osmosis system needs to be bigger, all that

[13:28] stuff's involved with this. >> Osmosis out there.

[13:33] [snorts] >> Yeah, it is. It's something

[13:37] that EPA requires you to do is that long-term control plan. They don't want,

[13:41] you know, to continue it because they don't want you to stop right now where

[13:44] you're at and [snorts] build a new plant that's doing good.

[13:47] You're still going to have overflows. That's what they don't want, right?

[13:50] » They want us to get down to uh I think it's 10 in it

[13:53] » overflows. Three, four years now. Wow. >> Wow.

[13:57] » On each >> total. Total.

[14:01] » How you going to get 17 down to to any? >> You're not going to get it down to that.

[14:06] » That's what they want. >> 17's a major one. If nobody knows, it's

[14:11] the Buffalo. starts up with the fairgrounds, comes right under here,

[14:15] goes out on Warren Street. It's the buffalo. It's a It's a 40 inch pipe, and

[14:22] when it rains, the black stuff comes out of it because I was under time in 15

[14:25] minutes. >> They want to get rid of the first flush

[14:28] that they want to get rid of, don't they?

[14:31] » Yeah. >> That pipe need replaced.

[14:34] » No, can't replace it. Well, the long-term control plan, what what

[14:39] originally it's going to do, I don't know if it's still like this, was to

[14:42] turn that into a storm sewer and get laterals on each side of that, but

[14:45] they're still planning on doing with the with the buffalo.

[14:48] » Do you know? >> Not yet.

[14:50] » Okay. That's way down the road. >> We'll be gone by the time we get that

[14:55] done. Yeah. That's going to a big dis disruption of the city. But that's the

[15:00] original plan because that >> Yeah. But to get that down to four.

[15:08] Okay. But we have to have it. So

[15:11] » Mhm. >> And I can't seem possibly trying to get

[15:13] us down lower than four. That's just >> that's a crazy amount anyway to get down

[15:17] to. >> Uh

[15:19] » that's a crazy amount to get down in. Four is like

[15:21] » is that four for each one for four period?

[15:24] » Period. There used to be was 10, was it? Why did they drop it so low?

[15:33] » Got to save the planet, bud.

[15:38] » Yeah, we we to the water plant also know the water plan had to be done.

[15:43] Okay, I'm going to entertain to make a get a motion to authorize and direct

[15:48] save safety service director to enter into a contract with Arcadus

[15:54] to

[15:57] administer long-term control plan again as an emergency.

[16:02] » So moved. >> Rob Taylor first,

[16:07] Cody Scott second. All in favor? >> I.

[16:10] » All opposed? Oh, sorry. Sorry. I All opposed.

[16:16] Motion passes. Okay. Contract

[16:22] lease and servicing uh center NC L government

[16:29] Capital. Any public participation on that one?

[16:33] » Yeah, I know what that was.

[16:36] » Greg Y 1125 Hill Crest Drive. Now I can talk about this. Yes, sir. Okay. So, we

[16:42] were just told Thursday night that there we were going to get more information

[16:46] about this. >> Yes, you were.

[16:48] » And all of a sudden now it's on the agenda tonight for emergency.

[16:53] Okay. And we haven't even been able to voice our opinions or even talk about

[16:57] this or even know what the hell's going on. Excuse me. I'm sorry about that. But

[17:01] what the heck's going on? Okay. Once again,

[17:06] we're being told certain things and all of a sudden then the lies come out. what

[17:11] I believe to be true is nothing but lies coming out about stuff. Okay, why not be

[17:15] open and transparent and bring everything to the table instead of

[17:19] hiding all this crap. Okay, this is where our government is not being

[17:24] transparent and not being effective. Okay. So to me this contract you got

[17:31] this committee n xnay it right now till we get more information till citizens

[17:36] can understand this better to where you guys can understand this because matter

[17:41] of fact as brought up before about when you guys go into executive session

[17:45] you're given 10 minutes with something and then have to make a rash decision.

[17:50] This doesn't have to be a rash decision. This this needs to be ironed out, talked

[17:57] about, and this administration needs to be told that the citizens are pissed off

[18:02] about this when they keep doing crap like this.

[18:05] » Well, I I can't speak for every individual citizen. I'll speak as an

[18:11] elected official. This this should not have been thrown on this agenda as an

[18:15] emergency, especially given what Mr. White is correct in saying. We were told

[18:21] this was not urgent and we do need more information

[18:25] and I think the proper way to go about this to hold a town hall and get the

[18:29] public's input because this this is not the only option available to us. Buying

[18:35] new garbage trucks is not the only option. There are other options we can

[18:39] do to save money as a city and those those options should at least be part of

[18:45] the conversation. And the fact that you guys did try to

[18:50] throw this in here as an emergency after telling us this was not urgent and we

[18:54] would get more information. I don't I don't really like that.

[18:58] So I I don't know and I don't know why we had to do that. I don't know why you

[19:02] guys did that. >> All right. Thank you.

[19:04] » Very valid points. >> Any other public participation?

[19:09] » Ken Law 625 South Spring Street. to go along with this vein of uh conversation.

[19:15] Everything that has been passed so far tonight is the same thing there. There's

[19:19] no emergency. What what tell me why it was an emergency for anything that we

[19:24] that you guys legislated tonight. >> We need to get this uh these flow meters

[19:28] going. We need to we need to get going on storm water control. We really need

[19:33] » How long have you been aware of it? Well, I mean, I've had I've heard this

[19:39] conversation six, eight months ago, but not as an elected official,

[19:43] » but it was about six or eight months ago when when the state started coming in

[19:47] state started coming in. And >> our our process is three readings over 6

[19:52] week period, right? >> Makes law uh four weeks later. So,

[19:56] you're talking less than 3 months. But they said that uh excuse me that the uh

[20:02] uh the water testing or the um flow monitoring is wants to be done in March

[20:07] when when the flow is the highest when you get the most flow through your

[20:10] sewers at the time of the year. >> Did we not?

[20:13] » Did we not know that a year ago? >> Well,

[20:16] March is high tide. >> We had different counsel

[20:20] going on time. >> Greg's point is well t you know taken

[20:22] here that [snorts] it doesn't smell good. Oh, no. They're smell good. But

[20:26] » this every every other every other thing that gets passed here is an emergency.

[20:30] And that's because of poor planning, not because it's an emergency because nobody

[20:34] had nobody woke up 3 months ago and said, "You we got to do something about

[20:37] this." And >> well, also, uh, US EPA was and Ohio EPA

[20:41] was in a in a tugof-war. Who's going to run this? And now now Ohio EPA decided

[20:47] they're going to within the last I don't know four months, 3 months, something

[20:51] like that. Let's just say four months. I'm not sure if they even got it yet.

[20:55] » Why? Why did we wait four months to to get off the cracker on this thing?

[20:58] » You'd have to ask the previous council members.

[21:00] » Well, no. First of January, 1st of January, we got

[21:04] we got council right here, right? >> You know, if if

[21:08] » there was a problem with the old administration, which is fine. Okay.

[21:11] Come first of Jan, that's over with. Okay. Good, bad, good, bad, or

[21:14] indifferent, it's over with. >> Fair enough. I'll say this then. If we

[21:17] don't if we don't pass this as an emergency and we miss this deadline now

[21:22] we're behind an entire year >> cuz you can't do it again. We can't put

[21:26] these flow meters in the ground until March.

[21:28] » Okay. >> But are you learn anything? That's

[21:31] that's my question because I I don't I don't care about storm water. Don't care

[21:34] about any of this stuff. Okay. It's the process that I'm that I'm up here

[21:38] complaining about. Everything is a freaking emergency and it's not. Okay.

[21:42] That's what's not right about this. And you guys, the as a group, the whole the

[21:46] whole council does doesn't understand that.

[21:48] » Well, actually, this council understands it better than the last council does. I

[21:52] believe >> that your records does show that. Look

[21:54] what you did just tonight. >> Well, bam, bam, bam.

[21:56] » This is just to get it on council floor, though.

[21:59] » Yeah. >> They could go down on the council floor.

[22:01] » It can go down on council floor. Doesn't that pass on?

[22:04] » This is just to get it there. >> We're not We don't make the laws here.

[22:08] » Okay. >> We take them to the council. It just

[22:10] goes you're saying up you're saying that up. You can't you can't fingerpoint

[22:14] going to the direction. And I'm not trying to be hateful.

[22:16] » That's what this this sends it up to council.

[22:19] » You you guys you guys are asking a lot of us. You're asking us to pay more

[22:22] money for this, more money for that, more of this and that and then you jam

[22:25] these all these emergencies on us and that doesn't that doesn't sit well.

[22:29] Okay. It just it just isn't it isn't right.

[22:31] » Well, it doesn't sit well with any of us either. None of us want to see this. And

[22:35] I don't think it was even two months ago that we didn't know that the state was

[22:38] going to be No. the one that we're going to go with with

[22:41] the with the EPA stuff. I don't believe >> it's still not 100%.

[22:44] » It's still not 100%. So, we still don't know if it's going to be USA or if it's

[22:48] going to be a state that's actually controlling what we do.

[22:53] That's what sucks about all this. None of this is fair for anybody. But we got

[22:57] we we're up here to make some of the tough decisions we got to make.

[23:00] Unfortunately, that's what you elected us for. And hate

[23:05] us or whatever. It's we're stuck with it.

[23:13] any more public participation on this one? In my opinion, I don't know about

[23:18] I'll ask you, Robert, do you think we should table this particular one until

[23:20] we got more information? >> Not only should we table it, I [snorts]

[23:23] think we need a motion to uh to entertain other options. I don't I'm not

[23:29] convinced that buying two new trucks, keeping two trucks and

[23:34] running trash ourselves is necessarily the best option. It may very well turn

[23:39] out to be the best option, but I think we need to entertain the other options

[23:46] and there are other options. >> I don't have the I don't have the in

[23:49] front of me, but I don't I think without checking that this is already on our

[23:53] agenda to do other options. If not, I would like to

[23:58] have this put on there to look for other options for

[24:03] » you refer the next. >> Yeah, for this

[24:06] » for um >> but

[24:08] » trash trucks are >> in short. Yes, I agree with you uh chair

[24:11] that this should be tabled >> Cody.

[24:14] » Yep. >> I agree too. We're going to table this

[24:16] one for now.

[24:20] » Oh, I don't think it needs a first second for table, does it? No,

[24:24] absolutely not. >> This is going to be tabled for now.

[24:29] Citizens participation again for the last time.

[24:33] » Seeing none, we're going to journ at 5:24.

[24:38] [music]

[24:44] [music]

February 23, 2026, Bucyrus City Council Special Service Committee Meeting

Transcript