WHITEHOUSE, Ohio — The Lucas County Engineer's Office held a community meeting on Tuesday at the Whitehouse Village Hall about the Swan Creek clean-up efforts.
At each meeting, people are wondering why the cleanup is happening and why they have to pay.
"Why in 30 years did they never clean these ditches out? Never, ever!" said Holland resident Debra Tomaszewski.
It's a question many have heard several times after residents like Tomaszewski received white cards in the mail showing the price they'll have to pay if the Swan Creek ditch cleanup proposal is passed.
"I called them for the last 30 years to clean the ditches. I am 63 years old," Tomaszewski said. "I had to clean my own ditch out because I'm a good citizen, I take care of my stuff. They never cared."
Lucas County Engineer Mike Pniewski said the office currently doesn't have the right to clean the ditches out itself because it legally is the responsibility of the property owners.
"We really depend on individual property owners to make sure that it's in good order," Pniewski said. "A lot of our property owners do a great job, Some don't have the ability or for other reasons haven't been able to do that."
The engineer's office filed a petition to manage the ditches for Swan Creek and Ten-Mile Creek.
Pniewski said people who keep their ditches clean can fill out an exemption form. But, he sees flaws in the current process.
"If you don't really maintain a drainage system holistically, it makes it really difficult to keep a system that functions the way it should," Pniewski said.
For some neighbors, even after speaking with the engineer's office, they still want more information before having to pay.
"I don't want to pay 10 cents if I don't know what they're going to do," l said resident Marshall Gil. "It's my right to know what they're going to do."
The Lucas County Engineer's office sent a request to the Joint Board of Commissioners to delay this proposal decision to 2025. Pniewski said he wants more time to educate the public.
A decision on the delay is expected on Aug. 6.