OXFORD, Ga. – The Oxford City Council voted to expand the city’s sewer service to 42 homes along Emory Street at its Monday night meeting.

The new service will affect homes from the Palmer Stone School south to Wentworth Drive with an extension down Clark Street. According to Oxford City Manager Bob Schwartz, the city will need to obtain easements from 28 homeowners in order to install the sewer.

The council approved plan will require homeowners to pay a $3,600 fee to hook-up to the sewer. Those homeowners who pay the fee upfront will receive a 10 percent discount. Homeowners who choose to pay the hook-up fee in monthly installments will pay $60 a month plus a $5 monthly service fee for 60 months.

In exchange for the 28 easements needed to install the system, Schwartz said the city will reimburse those homeowners up to $1,800 of the costs for having a plumber connect their house to the system and close their septic tank.

Schwartz said that the balance of the 42 homes for which an easement is not necessary will get a letter from the city saying that sewer is available within 100 feet of their home and they have 120 days to tap on to it. He said those homeowners will not receive the reimbursement for connecting to the sewer because an easement through their property is not necessary.

According to Schwartz, Oxford has an ordinance requiring all homes within 100 feet of a sewer line to be connected to it.

Schwartz said the work will start sometime this summer.