LUCAS COUNTY, Ohio — A decision on the Swan Creek ditch cleanup project has been postponed to next year, as Lucas County Engineer Mike Pniewski says the delay will allow for more time to speak with the public.
The joint board of commissioners overseeing the project on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a request from Pneiwski to delay the proposal for how residents would pay for the cleanup effort to July 2025.
Larry Vasko is one of many who received white cards in the mail showing how much they'll have to pay to clean the county ditches to prevent flooding. His price to pay was $536 for the first year.
"I was pretty surprised that it was that kind of number," he said.
Vasko had a lot of the same concerns several others had at recent public meetings on the project. But he does believe the ditches need to be cleaned.
"I take the word of the county engineer, it's got to be fixed," Vasko said. "But it shouldn't be on the backs of the rural landowners who support everything out there in the community."
But now, the plan for the charges is on hold.
"(It gives us) the opportunity to provide more public education and outreach to the public, to see why we're doing it, to see the adverse impacts of this will be if we fail to act, as well as give us an opportunity to look for additional dollars to try to offset the potential costs to our citizens," Pniewski said.
The request would also remove Fulton and Henry counties from the original proposal, making it just a Lucas County cleanup effort. Pniewski said Fulton County has its own plan to clean ditches.
Lucas County Commissioner Lisa Sobecki said the counties still plan to work together, though.
"Have an alliance together to go after state and federal dollars and bringing awareness of this into our ditches," she said.
Still, Vasko said his support for the delay depends on what happens next year.
"If it's fix the system fine, but if it's just we're going to push it off a year then slip it in, I'm not in favor of that," he said.
Lucas County Commissioner Anita Lopez was the sole vote against the delay at the joint board of commissioners meeting. She said the board should have rejected the proposal outright instead of delaying it.
The board's decision is now scheduled for July 15, 2025.