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CHAMPION -- The chairman of a committee created to provide oversight regarding water rates in Trumbull County noted frustration with a lack of a quorum at meetings and stagnating regionalization talks as part of why he was stepping down from the position.
In an email to all three of the county's commissioners Tuesday evening, former Champion Township Trustee Rex Fee, who was appointed as chairman of the county's Water Advisory Panel, announced that he was resigning from the position -- effective immediately.
County Commissioner Tony Bernard called for the group's formation alongside a state performance audit -- the first conducted on the county water department in its 58-year history -- at an April 2025 meeting.
Fee elaborated on the decision Thursday, expressing frustration over the board's ability to form a quorum.
"It's frustrating to me that anything that occurs with the sanitary engineers, as far as pass-through rates, et cetera, it goes through the panel, and then we present it to the Board of Commissioners," Fee said. "Without a quorum present, meeting after meeting, anything that is brought to us is pushed back, and whenever you push back issues involving what the sanitary engineer is presenting as needed funds, it just slows (things down).
Fee also noted frustration with regionalization talks, which were brought up and discussed briefly, and the commissioners' and certain city officials' no-showing.
"We had a meeting, and we said, 'Well, I think we need to sit down and have a civilized discussion on regionalization -- get everyone's input," Fee said. I opened a meeting with this statement: 'We fully realized the strong desire to maintain local control remains a significant barrier; with that, they say that negotiation is a discussion between parties who have opposite goals; that should end with neither side being happy.'"
Fee noted his 32 years with the Trumbull County Sanitary Engineer's office, and at one point, served as its executive director, becoming a Champion trustee and serving for eight years, and giving back to the community.
When I become a part of the panel that, we can't even get a quorum, or we don't even have the interest of the county commissioners (to) attend a discussion on regionalization," Fee said. "It's very discerning."
Fee said he would be glad to sit down and discuss his concerns with the county's water districts and problems he sees in the sanitary engineer's office with commissioners, adding that, at the time of the interview, he hadn't received a call from any of them.
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Commissioner Tony Bernard, who saw Fee's email but said he hasn't had the chance to reach out to him, said he was surprised by the decision -- adding that it was a huge loss for the panel.
Bernard acknowledged Fee's frustration with a lack of quorum at the meetings.
"The township trustees, we asked them to appoint representatives who would show up so that they definitely could accomplish something," Bernard said. "It's just been a struggle to get a quorum there and to get people to come there so they can do what they were supposed to do, and that was to go in there and take a look at the sanitation's operations and help us streamline the spending there."
In terms of what's next for the leadership, Bernard said the commissioners haven't really had time to discuss it, adding that he definitely expects it to come up at their next workshop.
"As you're well aware, the water rates hadn't been increased for 10 to 12 years, and then they came along and wanted a huge increase," Bernard said. "The board gave them a smaller increase because we wanted to make sure they're not just spending money out there, that they're trying to streamline it."
"I'm not sure that the advisory board that I suggested we appoint had an opportunity to address any of those issues," he added.
Commissioner Denny Malloy, who noted Bernard's role in creating a water resource board before the rates were increased, said the panel hasn't had a quorum since their founding meeting, heavily encouraging the trustee representatives to attend its June meeting.
"If the townships don't care, I can see why Rex Fee would step down, because you can't run a meeting if people don't get involved and get active," Malloy said. "If we said we're raising rates tomorrow, our phones would be lighting up with people complaining."
"The process of understanding it, they can't put it on the commissioners or blame us if we need to do something, when (trustees) they have a chance to have input, and they don't even attend."
Malloy said that lack of attendance was a "disservice" to their residents -- who are the county's customers.
Malloy expressed the belief that apathy towards the water board began once it began to venture into things it had nothing to do with outside of water rates, such as regionalization.
"I think that may have pushed some people away, too, that, "Hey, we're here for one reason, some of the members are going off in a different direction; we're not coming back if that's the way it's going to be,'" Malloy said.
Malloy said he assumed Bernard, as the water board's founder, would have tried to steer it in its original direction.
He said he blamed the townships for not staying actively involved.
"If they don't want to be involved, we have to do what we have to do, with the guidance of our employees there," Malloy said. "They did come to a consensus that whatever rates were, rate increases were thrown on us from the City of Niles, we would have to pass it on."
"They were in agreement with that when we had the first meetings; they understood that, so that's probably what's going to happen, is when we get an increase in the bulk water sale, we're probably going to have to pass it on down to the customers."
Malloy said the consumers should contact the trustees if that's something they aren't in favor of.
Malloy said the water board may have overstepped its authority when it discussed regionalization in February, leading to Malloy and Commissioner Rick Hernandez speaking to Niles officials at a March city council meeting.
"We were called on the carpet by Niles, and we want to be great neighbors with them. We have no problem there. We understand that when costs go up, we have to adjust accordingly," Malloy said. "I don't believe Niles or anyone else is gouging us. They are being as fair as they can be, but it comes down to supply and demand."
Regarding Fee's role on the water board and filling the experience gap, Malloy noted he was one of the "most qualified, capable people to chair that board."
"I trust our sanitary engineer (Gary Newbrough) and his staff, and I trust that he is, every day, trying to provide us with the cleanest water at the best price," Malloy said. "If we do end up having to raise rates someday, you know, they -- the trustees don't have a leg to stand on, because they had the opportunity to be part of the process, and they chose not to."