Wayne Garrison, Carroll County's representative to the Twin Lakes Regional Sewer District Board of Directors said he intends to make his voice heard at board meetings. He voted against passing the proposed rate ordinance on second reading and adoption at the Oct. 12 board meeting.

Garrison was appointed approximately nine months ago by commissioners but has yet to be approved for the position by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. He said he isn't going to let that stop him from providing input and voting his conscience.

"I do not feel the ordinance was fair to all of the service areas," he said as explanation for his no-vote. "I think the increases were a little high in some areas. It just didn't feel right to me."

Garrison did not take issue with the rate proposed for Carroll County residents in Phase IIIB. He expressed conflicted emotions about the rate hike for other areas resulting in keeping Phase IIIB rates lower than they would have been without the hike.

"What it all works towards is to balance the rates across the service areas," he said. "I've got some issues with it, but I feel the rate increase was needed."

Garrison voted to pay a bill for $14,525 for work in Carroll County on the site of the proposed wastewater treatment plant on the Rattle Snake Creek at last Thursday night's meeting.

In another matter, Garrison suggested the board hire a person to record the minutes of the meeting. He expressed concern about the ability of the group's elected secretary to be an active participant in meetings when he is busy trying to record the board's activity.

The suggestion was met with acceptance. Board consensus was to flex time for an office worker to attend the meetings for that purpose.

Phase IIIB construction

Joe Tierney of GRW engineering firm reported the funding application, under scrutiny by the Office of Rural Development for several months,

was forwarded to Washington D.C. Oct. 13 for approval. He said the federal approval process takes from 90 to 180 days.

Tierney said the project is anticipated to be bid out next spring which will bring the initiation of the construction process.

When construction begins, Carroll County customers in Phase IIIB will begin paying 50 percent of the monthly rate until the time of connection, according to Garrison. He said the construction time can last two years while customers pay half-bills. He will encourage the board not to allow the construction period last that long.

"I don't want to see this drag on like it has in some other service areas," he said. "I expect constant progress to completion."

The next sewer district board meeting will be Dec. 14. The board will meet one time in December due to the holiday schedule.