By Cheryl Splain, KnoxPages.com Reporter
MOUNT VERNON — In a meeting of the city’s Utilities Committee, council members discussed and generally approved Mayor Richard Mavis’ suggestion to restructure the city’s Water and Wastewater Commission.
Mavis recommended reducing the five-member commission to a three-member commission comprised of the safety-service director, city engineer and the utilities director. The five current seats include the SSD and city engineer, a representative each from water and wastewater, and a private citizen. A city council member sits on the commission but does not vote. The water and wastewater departments have since been reorganized under the leadership of the utilities director. “I felt that the way we restructured, three people could be good again,” said Mavis.
City Law Director Rob Broeren said that as part of the restructuring, the appeal process on the water side needs to be updated to match the wastewater appeal process. The wastewater appeal process is first to the utilities director, then to the Water and Wastewater Commission and then to the Court of Common Pleas.
Broeren also said the council member needs to be removed from the administrative task of serving on the commission because it blurs the line between administrative and legislative functions. Councilman John Booth concurred. “That’s an administrative process. We are legislators,” he said. “It’s not a good situation. If we reorganize, if council is willing take that person out of it.”
Broeren will work on creating legislation that brings the water appeals process in line with the wastewater process and restructures the commission members.