Gary schedules hearing on county takeover of sewer system

Gary residents will get a chance to press city officials on a sewer decision that could reshape how the town’s utility is run, paid for and repaired. The City of Gary has set a public hearing for Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at Gary City Hall, 25 Smoke Eaters Drive, on an ordinance that would place operation and maintenance of the municipal sewer system under the McDowell County Public Service District.

The change would not just swap out the name on the door. If council approves the ordinance, the PSD would take over day-to-day operation and maintenance, a shift that could affect billing, complaint handling, repair response and the long-term planning needed to keep an aging sewer system working. For a small municipality with persistent infrastructure problems, that kind of transfer could determine whether customers get faster fixes, clearer customer service and a more stable path to financing upgrades.

The hearing comes after years of state intervention in Gary’s sewer troubles. The Public Service Commission of West Virginia opened a proceeding on December 30, 2022, under the Distressed and Failing Utilities Improvement Act, and later found in March 2024 that Gary’s sewer operations constituted a distressed utility. PSC staff recommended that the commission direct McDowell County PSD to work with Gary, and the commission ordered the city and district to negotiate an operations-and-maintenance agreement.

That regulatory track has already been tested in public. At a November 2023 PSC hearing in Welch, residents described what the sewer breakdowns have meant in real life. Gary resident Chris Coleman said he had dealt with sewer problems for roughly 10 to 12 years, including repeated basement flooding and times when Welch city workers had to help because Gary workers would not clean out his sewer.

The city’s notice says the ordinance and related materials are available for public inspection at the city hall recorder’s office during regular business hours. Residents can review the paperwork before the hearing and speak before council votes, making the June 16 meeting the last public checkpoint before Gary acts on a move that could shift liability, infrastructure obligations and future rate-setting toward the county district. A later report said the PSC required the agreement to be filed quickly, underscoring that this is part of a long-running effort to stabilize distressed utilities in McDowell County, not a new dispute.