Cost of meth lab clean-up has cities like Rittman looking to bill property owners

RITTMAN, Ohio - Rittman was the first city in Wayne County to find and have to deal with a working methamphetamine lab in 2000.

"And we did everything wrong," said City Manager Larry Boggs. Boggs said they cleaned up the chemicals themselves and stored them in an evidence locker, where they continued to cook.

With more than 300 meth lab busts in Ohio in 2011, cities like Rittman have learned from their mistakes. The chemicals used to make meth are so hazardous, a special company must be hired to clean up the labs.

Clean-up can cost between $1,000 and $2,000, and the state is no longer helping with the bill.

"If we had several of these in one year, they could affect the police department. It would probably come out of their budget because they are the ones that usually find them," Boggs said.

Rittman is considering legislation charging property owners for the clean-up. Property owners and landlords would have to pay if their renters were to blame.

"We are trying to reduce the costs to the Rittman taxpayers," he said.

The most recent meth lab in Rittman was found in the trunk of a car on Jan. 16, 2012. The car was parked at a car wash so under the ordinance that business owner would have to pay for clean-up.

"Unfortunately, it would have been the car wash under interpretation of the law," Boggs said. The ordinance is modeled after one passed by the city of Norton.

Norton Police Chief Thad Hete, who already billed a hotel for the clean-up of a meth lab in one of the rooms, said they do use discretion. He said recently officers were chasing a suspect on an ATV and the man threw a backpack containing a mobile meth lab into a yard.

"We are certainly not going to charge the homeowner where the meth lab ended up, that's on the city," he said.

Officials in both cities say the point is stop putting the cost on the backs of residents. The ordinance must go through two more reading before it's passed in Rittman.

The city of Twinsburg is voting on a similar ordinance in the next few weeks. Cuyahoga Falls passed meth lab clean-up legislation last year.