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LORDSTOWN -- Village Council on Monday approved an agreement with the Trumbull County commissioners for providing sewer services for the Ultium Cells LLC battery production plant.
The village also approved the purchase of 4.4 acres off state Route 45 for $169,000 for an additional elevated water tower, which not only will provide water for the village but also to the battery plant.
"The additional water tank will not only help enhance our current system but also will provide a backup for GM for a few days in case there was an issue with the water," Mayor Arno Hill said.
Hill said there is already a village water tank in the area where the new elevated tank will be placed. He said a Warren city water tank also is nearby and another village tank is on Bailey Road.
"The new water tank will be behind the other two in that area and will make our system better." he said. "They (Ultium Cells) will be our customer, and we are agreeing with the county to provide the processing of the sewage."
Officials said the village's Board of Public Affairs on Dec. 1 had also approved the sewer system agreement and recommended council approve the agreement.
In October, attorney Dan Thomas -- representing Trumbull County commissioners -- had prepared a proposed agreement among the county, Ultium Cells LLC and Lordstown village for sanitary sewer services for the new battery cell plant being constructed near the old General Motors plant.
The agreement includes the county's rate for transporting the waste from the new plant -- $6.66 per 1,000 gallons. From that fee, the county will pay to get the sewage treated at the city of Warren waste treatment plant.
Warren charges the county $3.49 per 1,000 gallons to treat the waste. The proposal includes a 60 cent per 1,000-gallon fee for Lordstown and recognizes Ultium Cells as the village's customer. Lordstown would handle billing the company in exchange for the fee.
Because the company will be Lordstown's customer, the county will not collect a tap-in fee from the company. Because the county does not charge other governments tap-in fees, the county also will not collect a tap-in fee from the village either.
The village does not charge tap-in fees to its customers, Hill has said.
The village is expected to handle the construction of a 1,600-foot pipe to connect the new construction to the county's lines.
Thomas said he is recommending commissioners send a request to the Ohio Attorney General's Office to determine its rights and limitations in calculating and waiving tap-in fees in future sanitary sewer agreements. The county has limitations when it comes to sewer agreements in Lordstown, because the village created its own sewer district, and there are prior court cases and settlements that determine how the county and the village can handle the arrangements.
bcoupland@tribtoday.com