Council reviews County Estates East request, approves sanitary sewer expansion project

Tipp City Council met on Monday, Feb. 5, following two executive sessions and an informal study session. During the study session, they discussed County Estates East, a Monroe Township residential area of 77 single-family lots and 12 multi-family lots located between Evanston and Shoop and just east of I75. Tipp currently provides water and sewer services to County Estates East and bills the cost to Monroe Township. Now, Monroe Township has asked Tipp City to take full responsibility for County Estates East’s water and sewer services, while Montgomery County has also offered to provide the services. As an alternative Tipp City could, if approved by County Estates East’s citizens, annex the area, thereby taking full responsibility for all services, including police, fire, EMS, etc.

Council members had requested, and at the meeting reviewed, a cost-benefit analysis of both the Monroe Township request and the annexation option. However, before making a decision, Tipp’s City Manager Tim Eggleston suggested that his people inspect County Estates East’s water and sewer system to determine if there any issues which might increase the estimated costs. Council will address this issue again after the inspection is complete.

After the Study Session, Council member and Mayor Logan Rogers read a Proclamation to honor the Tipp High School boys’ soccer team, which won the 2023 State Title. Soccer team members and their coaches attended the meeting and were heartedly applauded by all.

The Council passed three Resolutions:

• Authorized City Manager Tim Eggleston to contract with Kinnison Excavating, Inc. of Piqua, Ohio for the Industrial Sanitary Sewer Expansion Project at a cost of $4,830,280. Tipp has applied for a Water & Wastewater Infrastructure Grant of $2,500,000 and is waiting on approval from the Ohio Department of Development. The Industrial Sanitary Sewer Expansion Project has sometimes been called “the Abbott line,” but it will do more than provide service to just Abbott. It will also provide service to the 80 acres that Meijer owns across the street on 25A and service to the 60 acres which are vacant at the corner of 25A and 571.  And it will help in providing additional flow from the northwest corner of the community down to First Street, since it will run down 25A, then east to South Kinna, and from Hyatt to First Street.

• Increase City Manager Tim Eggleston’s bi-weekly salary to $5,096.93

• Increase Clerk of Council Janice Bates’ weekly “Clerk of Council” salary to $231.85.

Council also passed a Motion:

• Authorize the Tipp City Police Chief and City Manager to sign an application for a temporary liquor permit for the June 8th Canal Music Festival.

Before adjourning, City Manager Eggleston gave an update on the second phase of the Main St./I75 bridge improvements, saying that cost estimates have been completed and are ready for bids to contractors.