King council took a prominent step forward in the issue of sewer installation in Nobleton by agreeing to service some of the village Monday night.

The staff recommendation for certain areas outlined on the Township's Web site to proceed with the connection of sanitary sewers in the two-year time of travel area around the municipal drinking water wells, as well as in the remainder of the commercial areas along Highway 27. Streets excluded from this plan are Wilsen Street and Robinson Road. The problem was they cannot be hooked up without a pumping station and that would increase costs.

As well, staff will need to prepare the necessary bylaw requiring connection to the Nobleton sewage system and for recovering costs of the program through a property assessment charge. Furthermore, the assessment bylaw charges are based on the residential unit equivalent method described in the report, and that the assessment bylaw provides a requirement for mandatory connection to the system and decommissioning existing septic systems for all properties in the service area.

Staff will also continue to seek additional contributions and funding in order to reduce the overall assessment costs for the residents. Staff will be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.

Finally, council recommended that when additional funds becomes available that staff proceed with the remaining community and the matter be brought back to council at a later date. Mayor Margaret Black, Councillors Linda Pabst, Bill Cober and Jack Rupke voted in favour of the resolution while Councillors Jeff Laidlaw, Cleve Mortelliti and Jane Underhill were opposed.

Council was also met with the crowd voicing displeasure about the installation of sewers, though Nobleton resident Bob Belger said he was in favour of council going forward with the full installation in the village.

"I am not going to dwell on why this is good.

The Township is changing and those areas that stay on septic tanks will be left behind," Belger said. "I don't want to see the community split over this."

Belger explained that the problem was not the idea of a mandatory hook up, but the cost.

"I believe if this was free, no one would have a problem hooking up at all," Belger commented.

He also believed that council should devise a plan that will reassure everyone they can afford the cost.

"There should be nointerest loans for people so people are able to stay in their homes," Belger said.

Belger asserted to Laidlaw that he was for the servicing of all of Nobleton.

Rupke said that while Belger is community minded, there were problems with his solution.

"I don't think we are in the position to make cost recommendations for people," Rupke declared.

Nobleton resident Nancy Hopkinson, who spoke at the last council meeting Sept. 8, repeated her position, saying it's more costly to hook up to sewers.

"Paying $30,000 is absurd, we don't want this, there's got to be another solution," Hopkinson said.

Resident Abe Simpson said the people of Nobleton are suffering and council didn't care.

Rupke and Mortelliti agreed on the concurrent work costs and how it will come out.

"I am basically looking at in reducing concurrent costs in the process," Rupke said.

Rob Flindall, director of engineering and public works, said it is determined on the type of funding to be used for this type of work.

Cober said he recognized time is of the essences, considering the increased costs, but they just cannot afford servicing all of Nobleton.

Mortelliti tried to get the issue deferred again, but Rupke argued that council needed to make a decision.

Mortelliti argued he was quite comfortable with waiting.

"I don't want to pass anything until I am clear what we are passing," Mortelliti remarked.

"There is an obligation of source water protection that we can vote on, but for the whole township to be service, I just don't think we can afford it."

Cober agreed that not all septic tanks are failing but council needs to move forward.

"I recognize there are some questions unanswered but we need to come to some solution tonight," Cober argued.

Mortelliti said he was not comfortable with the issue.

"These are very significant issues and its very complex," he said.

Black said there have been many working sessions and agreed it's too expensive to service the whole community, but asked to go ahead with the recommendation by staff to proceed with the servicing of the identified areas.

Mortelliti continued to push for a deferral, backed by Laidlaw, but Township Clerk Chris Somerville said he had never put it on the table as a motion.

"You need to bring it forward as a motion before it's voted on," Mrs. Somerville said.

Mortelliti questioned this statement, arguing he had forwarded it to the clerk and council beforehand.

"Mine was written whereas the Mayor's motion is verbal," Mortelliti argued.

Black countered it was written by staff and she was just moving it.

Township CAO Scott Somerville interjected that Mortelliti's motion had the status of an amendment.

"It did not come way as a recommendation; the Mayor is moving the staff's recommendation," Mr. Somerville said.

Mortelliti pushed to defer the recommendations of staff report until certain minimum information had been satisfactorily provided.

He said he wanted further financial data, combined with a 20-year projection of the tax implications of the concurrent projects that will be required as a result of installing the sewers, as well as the $4.9 million Township portion for the proposed Schomberg Arena Curling Facility, as well as other projects currently on the books, including projections for upgrades to the King City and Nobleton Arenas.