CADIZ — The village of Cadiz has been awarded $616,402 in grant funding toward a sidewalk improvement project.

Cadiz Mayor John Migliore said the village secured the funds through the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Transportation Alternatives Program — a program that provides funding for infrastructure improvement projects.

“I wanted to share some good news with the community. Last Friday I got word from OMEGA (Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association) that the TAP grant that we applied for last year has gone through,” he said during Thursday’s evening council meeting.

The funding will go toward a $733,190 sidewalk improvement project along portions of U.S. 250 and Ohio 9. The $116,730 balance will come from the village’s Tax Increment Financing, he said.

“So that’s great news for our area,” he said.

Migliore said the project includes the installation of new sidewalks, curbs and storm sewers to around 2,000 feet of Lincoln Avenue from Finney Tire to McDonald’s.

Additionally, a crosswalk will be installed across the roadway from McDonald’s to Wendy’s to allow pedestrians to safely cross.

Council unanimously authorized the mayor to accept the funds from ODOT. The project’s estimated start date is July 1, 2023.

In other news, Migliore asked council to consider forgiveness options for residents with abnormally high water bills due to a water leak.

“Many times our citizens have problems with water leaks like their toilet is running over and they’re not at home and it costs them a great hardship with the extremely large water bills, and I would like to ask if we could pass an ordinance that would give our citizens some kind of forgiveness,” he said.

Although this is somewhat of a rare occurrence, there are people who have experienced the issue who lack the financial means to pay for the expense, Migliore said.

“It would just be nice to have something like we used to have like when the water board was here and we could work with them,” he said.

Clerk/Treasurer Amy Ossman said there is an ordinance in place that states so as long as the water does not run through the sewer, the village will deduct the cost from the resident’s bill. She added that even if the village deducts the amount, it will then incur the cost.

Utility Director Tom Carter said the previous ordinance, which is no longer in place, stated that when this would happen the customer would have to pay their normal usage along with half of the cost that was caused by the leak. The village would pay the remainder. However, the customer would have to prove there was a leak and it was a one-time offer.

Migliore said village staff noticed a few customers’ bills this month that were “enormous” compared to their regular bills. Employees typically contact the person to alert them to the bill increase and have them check for possible leaks or issues.

Councilman Terry Capers suggested officials continue to discuss the matter to find a possible solution.

The village also has a payment plan option in place to aid customers who are having difficulty paying their water bill.

Council next meets at 7 p.m. May 20 in council chambers, 128 Court St., Cadiz.