Henry County will pay the outstanding sewer bills of former Mount Union residents this summer.

County auditor Shelly Barber says she will be transferring $70,000 to a new Sewer Revenue fund, which will pay the debt owed to Regional Utility Service Systems (RUSS). This will cover the $35,300.31 that is owed by Mount Union residents. That amount will then be special assessed to the residents who will owe that dollar amount by October 1. There is also $10,962.67 that was owed by Mount Union residents who lived in rental properties and can’t be special assessed since they were renters, so that claim will be filed to the State City Development Board. Henry County will be paying RUSS $45,992.98 on June 1. This back debt will be paid in order to lower the sewer rates for residents from $150 to $60.66 a month beginning July 1. This rate was approved at a recent supervisor board meeting. Property owners will be paying the the county the monthly sewer rate and the county will then pay RUSS from now on. Barber says the county expects to recoup the loss by the residents’ special assessment, and if residents don’t pay their special assessment by October 1 their properties will go up for tax sale in June 2018.