The Mount Vernon City Council postponed voting on a wastewater service rate hike at their Monday meeting until Jan. 25, 2021.
The council wants to give residents a chance to learn why city officials say the proposed 15% increase is needed and to weigh in on it.
The delay gives time to set a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 19 so city residents can learn about the wastewater system maintenance and repair needs and ask questions. Pushing back the vote also gives the council time to craft the ordinance more to their liking.
Councilmembers agreed that any rate hike should begin no sooner than March 1, 2021.
Councilmember Mike Hillier was the first to oppose the rate hike ordinance proposal as written since it includes automatic rate hikes. He said he could get behind the first three years of 15% rate hikes, but he opposed an automatic commitment to 10% rate hikes every year after that through 2030.
“I’m voting against it if you have a vote tonight,” Councilmember Janis Seavolt said. “I want the public involved. I think we need to educate them. I think the public needs to be able to ask their questions and get some answers.”
Council President Bruce Hawkins suggested changing the automatic 10% rate hikes starting in 2024 to requiring council approval each year. Councilmember Julie Warga also proposed an annual review to set rates starting in that year.
City Engineer Brian Ball said staff approached the previous chair of the Utilities Committee to bring a rate hike proposal to City Council but were told not to do so. A 2017 report shows the city has $11.8 million in maintenance and repairs to meet Ohio Environmental Protection Agency mandates. The rate hike is intended to raise funds to pay back what Ball said the city could borrow from the Ohio EPA revolving loan fund at 0% interest.
“I for one know that our infrastructure wastewater underneath our feet is deteriorating quicker than we could replace it,” Councilman John Francis said. “So I’m fearful of that. So we want to get this done.”
But the city cannot put the entire bill all at once on its customers, he said.
Public Works Director Mathias Orndorf’s preference for the automatic rate hikes (because council could change the rates set in the ordinance in any year) was not supported during the meeting.
