On Tuesday, Starr, the Middleburg Heights mayor and a 17-year member of the NEORSD board, said he wants a delay in approving the plan, a plan has been in the works for years with federal lawyers and the EPA.
Starr spoke Tuesday about his views on NEORSD's ongoing negotiations with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Ohio EPA.
Starr said that early projections said that paying for the $3 billion program would likely mean that quarterly bills for sewer district users are projected to go from $95 to $240 by 2016.
Brown said the board has been in negotiations for seven years, regarding the alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act.
"The Board respects the views of each of its trustess," said Brown, in a written statement. "...the board is disappointed that Mayor Starr has chosen, without the board's knowledge, to hold a press conference to express his personal views rather than continue to follow the public process observed by the entire board."
Brown's statement also read: "Mayor Starr's public announcement, unfortunately, contains several mis-statements of fact. The board's deliberative process regarding its plans to mitigate Combined Sewer Overflows has, at all times, been open to the public."
"Details of the proposed conesent decree with the EPA and the Ohio EPA are scheduled to be released to the public Nov. 12, followed by outreach sessions across the communities that comprise the district."
"A full public hearing was scheduled on the consent decree and its impact on rates and ratepayers for Nov. 18. The earliest a scheduled vote on the final terms of the consent decree could occur is Dec. 2."
Starr says that last week's election results show citizens want less government, lower taxes and more transparency. He claims the way the deal is being handled goes against all three goals.
"Is the price too high for a region reeling from poverty, unemployment, foreclosures and an exodus of residents and businesses?" he said.
The district has four more public hearings to explain why bills could go up an average of 18 percent a year over 20 years.
Starr wants to consider asking the federal government to pay a bigger share of water clean-up costs.
Akron and other cities are fighting the government's requirements in court. Starr wants that option considered too.
WKYC-TV