The state owes Warren County for years worth of unpaid assessment fees for a water line that was extended to the District 8 Ohio Department of Transportation office on Ohio 741.

ODOT officials met with county commissioners Tuesday in the hopes of reducing the amount of money they owe for two water lines that were installed in 2002. Since it stopped paying the assessment in 2006, ODOT owes $49,145 for tax years 2007 through 2011 and $10,390 in late penalties and interest.

The ODOT building was originally built on land owned by the state for the prison, so the bills were going to the prison, officials said. Then the bills started coming to ODOT — the parcels are now legally split — and for some reason the payments stopped in 2006.

ODOT officials Gary Middleton and James Fife weren’t in the District 8 office when the assessment was agreed to and the could not comment about why the payments stopped. Both said Tuesday that they want to clear up the matter.

“We can hopefully leave with a dollar figure that we can be assessed and we’ll go ahead and pay what we have to pay,” Fife said. “It was a fairness issue when we got the bill that we’re concerned about.”

Three-inch and six-inch water lines were installed, but the six-inch line was never used, according to Fife.

“That’s why were here — to discuss what is a fair amount to pay,” Fife said.

However, Patty Solinski, the business manager for the water and sewer department, said their records show ODOT on average has used 41,000 gallons bi-monthly on the six-inch meter and 105,300 gallons bi-monthly on the three-inch meter. ODOT also wants the commissioners to consider billing them for their actual usage, not on the size of the meters.

Middleton seemed shocked by the usage figures and said he planned to look into what that water line was being used for. He also wondered if ODOT paid the entire assessment, which is $155,890 — the amount of the outstanding assessment through 2022 — if they could get a break on their assessment.

Because the county sold bonds to pay for the water line Commissioner Pat South said they can’t really budge on the assessment amount because they have to pay the total principle and interest on the bonds and that amount can’t be reduced.

“Whatever we forgive, if we’re so inclined, off of your bill it comes out of our general fund,” she said. “We have to account for that in some way because we can’t put that financial burden on the other residents also being served by that line. So there lies the dilemma.”

Deputy Auditor Matt Nolan said they are willing to waive the late fees ODOT has incurred, but the $155,890 is a rock solid amount.

The commissioners told the ODOT representatives they would get back to them within a month.