SOUTH POINT — Mayor Jeff Gaskin said the South Point village council began discussions at their regular meeting on Tuesday about passing a levy to pay for storm sewers in the village.

Gaskin said the heavy rains of the past week put a spotlight on the drainage issue, which he has raised in recent council meetings.

“The storm water is overwhelming our sewer plant and backing things up,” he said. “Our plant handles 1 million gallons of water a day and with storm infiltration, that can go up to 3 million. We can’t continue to have storm water in our sewer.”

Gaskin said he estimates they would ask voters to pass a 1-2 mil levy, with it going on the ballot in fall 2021 at the earliest.

He said this would allow the village to borrow $3 million, which would be repaid.

“It would be a 15-20 year levy, not a forever levy,” he said. “We had a lot of talk about it and that’s way you make a request for people to vote on money.”

He said the village has been working to pinpoint where stormwater is coming into the system. They recently did a smoke test of the system and rented equipment toward this purpose.

“We can’t sit back and let this happen,” Gaskin said.

Gaskin said the council also looked into purchasing a vac truck for the sewage department. He said the current truck has aged and is getting beyond where it is feasible to repair it.

He estimates a new truck would run about $400,000, while a used truck could cost $200,000. He said the village could get a $100,000 grant toward this purchase.

In other business:

Gaskin said he is going to ask the village’s engineers to come up with a plan, cost and timeline for a paving project for Fitzpatrick Heights and Tiffany Lane.

“The road is paved on sand and has been falling apart,” he said.

• The mayor said the village is set to begin its first water line replacement project, which will run from South Point Elementary School to Solida Road.

• The annual village-wide yard sale is set for the first Saturday in April.

• Police chief Chris Meijer told the council that the department has been working on two stolen vehicle cases and has made arrests.