The March 18 meeting of Lakeland Regional Sewer District’s board of trustees was held in the garage area of the administrative building, which allowed for attendees to practice social distancing as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Future meetings may be held electronically. Clockwise from left are Joe Cleland, trustee; Parke Smith, treasurer; Jim Haney, president; Bob Marcuccilli, vice president; Frank Kurth, trustee; Sue Ann Mitchell, trustee. (Photo by David Hazledine)

WARSAW — Lakeland Regional Sewer District Board of Trustees voted to suspend failure to connect penalties from March 1 to April 30 at a brief public meeting held Wednesday, March 18.

President Jim Haney cited additional financial burdens on LRSD residents and contractors caused by the COVID-19 epidemic as the board’s reason for suspending penalties. The suspension was unanimously approved.

The board also passed a COVID-19 resolution, which allows Treasurer Mike DeWald to proceed with necessary financial actions such as paying bills without a meeting of the board. According to Haney, DeWald must communicate payments to the board prior to the transactions.

The resolution also adheres to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s Executive Order 20-04, which calls for meeting agendas to be reduced to essential items and for electronic participation to be adopted when possible. The number of members required to attend may also be reduced to one. Members of the public may be notified by electronic means about future meetings for the duration of the public health emergency.

The March 18 meeting was moved to the garage area of LRSD’s administrative building at the wastewater plant, to enable appropriate distancing between attendees.

Only one member of the public was in attendance, however, to hear the board’s decision to waive failure to connect penalties on a property purchased at a tax sale. The decision had been tabled at the February meeting. The request was unanimously denied. Haney commented other property owners have paid similar penalties in spite of “severe personal issues.”

The newly updated LRSD website is now up and running and may be viewed at lakelandrsd.com.