YOUNGSTOWN Youngstown City Council will consider legislation next week to pay a $739,500 penalty ordered by a federal court.

The payment, for "stipulated penalties" in a long-running case, is due to the U.S. government by Oct. 2, according to the proposed ordinance. The city's board of control will be authorized to make the payment if the measure passes.

The penalty stems from a 1998 case involving the city, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency over alleged violations of the Clean Water Act.

In 2002, the parties agreed to a consent decree, a long-term plan to address the city’s combined sewer system and prevent raw sewage overflows.

A federal court order, dated Sept. 2, found the city had missed several deadlines for projects relat

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