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Oct. 20, 2011
The Garrett County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved new fees and policies for the McHenry Water System District. Included in the document are hook-up time frames and payment schedules for hundreds of property owners who are required to connect to the public system.
"[We've] crafted, I think, the most equitable, blanket policy possible for the McHenry Water System," said commission chair Gregan Crawford. "I'm sure there are people who will certainly take issue with that, but we're still under a state mandated code. . . . Regardless of the history of who did what portion and when, what extension was done by whom, who paid for what, or what the intentions were, this is our system and we own it, and the responsibility lies with us."
The previous board of county commissioners held a public hearing on Dec. 7, 2010, on expanding the district to numerous areas around Deep Creek Lake, including Marsh Hill Road, the McHenry Business and Technology Park area, and Sweet Rewards Development.
No written or verbal commentary about the proposal was received at that hearing, and the district boundary changes were approved. The current commissioners held a similar hearing on the issue at Garrett College on March 19. That event also drew little public response.
Shortly thereafter, however, the commissioners received numerous objections to the mandatory connection policy and hookup costs. State law mandates that businesses and homeowners connect to a public system if the lines come within a certain distance of their properties.
During the last seven months, Crawford noted, the commissioners conducted three Saturday morning hearings at Garrett College on the issue, receiving five hours of public comments from those events, plus numerous phone calls, letters, e-mails, and courthouse visits at other times.
As a result of those hearings and comments, Crawford noted, the county came up with policies that reduced and standardized the fees, improved the public hearing notification system regarding water and sewer projects, and amended amortization schedules and connection time requirements.
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