Gamblin added, “The Board requires a brief extension of time to ensure CSU can maintain its existing access to this essential service through an arrangement that is fair to all parties.”
Central State said in a statement that officials had “proactively reached out to Xenia officials over a dozen times since January and have moved considerably toward resolution from the parties’ earlier conversations.”
Xenia officials said late Monday that they reject the notion that the city is “responsible for any delay in a final outcome for a conversation we have been pursuing with CSU for over a decade.”
Xenia provided the Dayton Daily News with public records documenting the city’s negotiations with the university over the last two years, including a timeline which indicates there were times during this period where Central State did not reply for several months.
Xenia City Council offered a three-month temporary service agreement for water and sewer service with Central State at the beginning of the year. That temporary agreement is now set to expire on March 31.
The university’s water will be shut off on April 1 “short of an acceptable permanent solution,” the city said.
This is the latest in a saga between Central State and Xenia that started in December, when Xenia notified the university that its water would be shut off Dec. 31 unless a pre-annexation or extraterritorial service agreement was signed.
The parties have since worked out a temporary agreement where the university will pay 1.5 times the Xenia resident rate for water and sewer access.
“We believe we are close to reaching agreement, and we are extremely appreciative of the work done to try to reach resolution over the past several months,” CSU President Morakinyo A.O. Kuti said. “Additional time is needed to review Xenia’s final offer, which has long-term ramifications for CSU.”
Kuti added the university will “look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with Xenia representatives over the coming days.”
Xenia officials say they have worked to incorporate CSU into the city for nearly two decades.
Xenia and Central State began to negotiate more urgently after Central State received a water bill in December for over $300,000, according to records obtained by the Dayton Daily News. The city of Xenia incorrectly applied a credit to the university’s balance, meaning CSU thought the balance was lower.
A letter from Xenia to Central State obtained by this news outlet says the money was incorrectly applied to CSU’s account after a water main break on campus in July. The misapplied credit totaled $184,333.
CSU made a payment of $71,407 in December to Xenia for its water bill, after which Xenia sent them the letter about the misapplied credit.
The university’s records reflect a total outstanding balance of approximately $263,000 after the credit was accounted for, CSU officials said.
