SYLVANIA, Ohio — A tentative agreement for a regional water commission has been reached, and it's something that has been in talks for years.
Although the contract is not finalized yet, it seems like things might be looking up for Sylvania and the other eight communities involved in the agreement.
Sylvania's Mayor, Craig Stough, has been a long-time advocate for an agreement like this.
The 40-year tentative contract will create a clear-cut way to provide water at wholesale prices for communities. It's what officials say is "progress for everyone involved."
The city of Sylvania in particular has been vocal about getting to this point with a fair and equal agreement.
Sylvania Service Director Kevin Aller said that he thinks all of the administrative bodies have done a good job at coming together to negotiate through issues that have been going on for several years.
"It's been a lot of work to get to this point. They say that a good agreement is one that everybody walks away saying, 'I don't really like parts of it,' and I think that's there, but I also think that everybody has come a long way in realizing that we're not going to get everything that we want," Aller said.
Aller went on to say that not everyone will love the agreement, but it's a step in the right direction and will eventually help their community.
"We believe it to be a fair agreement and that's what we were after from day one. The redundancy issue is addressed in there; redundancy and safety was a big thing with Mayor Stough," Aller said.
Plenty is discussed in the 54-page agreement and if all goes as planned, it will go into effect on January 1, 2020.