Madison County supports adding Monroe Township to new utility district

Madison County wants to add Monroe Township residents into a regional utility district. This comes a few years after a broken sewer line leaked raw sewage into a creek in the township, a major state environmental violation.  IPR’s Thomas Ouellette reports.

To alleviate the sewage problem in the creek near the Scotts and Phillips housing additions, creating a regional utility district would add township residents to the sewage system in the city of Alexandria.

As the process’s first step, the Madison County Council approved a letter of support for the move with a narrow 4-3 vote, after a motion to delay the vote failed.

Council member Bethany Keller voted no after requesting more information on how such a district would affect residents.

“I’m not comfortable at this point saying that I unequivocally support the formation of a regional utility district until I’m able to review that preliminary engineering report with the constituents and make sure that that is a solution that is best for the people,” Keller said.

At the Tuesday night meeting, Keller also wanted to hear from the public, but a motion to allow public comment was not seconded.

Some residents said they wanted to keep their current septic systems, but that’s only possible if they are up to code.  Then, according to Keller, they could stay on septic for up to 20 years.

County Engineer Jessica Bastin stressed that even with the letter of support, the utility district is still in its infancy, and there will be continued opportunities for public input.

Both Madison County Commissioners and the county council have already approved $3.5 million from the American Rescue Plan fund to go towards water infrastructure in the county.  

Thomas Ouellette is our reporter and producer. Contact him at [email protected]