Sewer bills to rise 17% per year

ST. MARYS - City residents will see a 17 percent increase in their sewer bills each year through 2020, beginning with the bills payable on April 10.

Water and sewer departments superintendent Jeff Thompson and city administrators agreed to the annual increases due to a number of expenses planned in the near future for the city's sewer system. Thompson reviewed the change with council members at their meeting on Monday.

Council approval is not required for the increase, but an ordinance setting the new rates was presented for members' consideration. City safety service director Greg Foxhoven said the increases will take effect as planned regardless of council's vote.

The minimum charge for sewer service in the city for residents inside the corporate limits will increase from $20.97 per month to $24.53 effective March 1 and payable with bills due on April 10. The minimum charge then will jump to $28.71 effective March 1, 2019 and to $33.59 effective March 1, 2020.

"The EPA is requiring us to eliminate all sanitary sewer overflows," Thompson told council members. "We know there are going to be extensive projects coming up, one of them is going to be a flow study, and we have two years to complete that, according to the permit."

The city hired Arcadis, a consultancy firm, to see which funds will be needed to cover several big projects looming on the horizon. Sewer rates had not been raised since 2008, Thompson said, noting that has helped cause the immediate need now.

"If they weren't forcing our hand to spend the money, we would probably be asking for a lot less," said Thompson, who blamed much of the need for a large increase on unfunded EPA mandates such as the one to eliminate septic service overflows.

Foxhoven said if the city had continued rate increases of about 1.6 percent each year, this 17 percent jump probably wouldn't have been necessary. However, the sewer fund is running far behind current expenses with the upcoming projects.

Council president James Harris said a 17 percent increase will be a hardship for those on fixed or low incomes, but he understood the immediate need. Foxhoven said he hopes future council members will remember this and continue with moderate annual increases to avert the need for any future large raises.

"The last thing we want to do is come in here and ask for more money," Thompson said. "Unfortunately, we have an infrastructure that we need to maintain to keep everybody in the city safe. We were hoping it wouldn't be 17 percent, but it's the way it figures out."

Council members will likely be asked to pass the rate legislation under suspension of rules at their April 9 meeting.

Members also heard first reading of a resolution to release three easements from the city to Joint Township District Memorial Hospital. The three easements, one for sanitary sewer and two for electrical service, will be used for the expansion of Vancrest of St. Marys healthcare facility.

Also on Monday, council members,

• heard a request from Abby Balster, St. Marys Chamber of Commerce executive director, to expand the area for alcohol consumption during Summerfest. Members will take the matter under advisement.

• heard a request from Alan Smith of Cory, Meredith, Witter & Smith Attorneys of Lima to join a consortium of municipalities seeking a settlement with the manufacturers of opioids for the overprescribing of the drugs. Legislation will be presented to members at the next council meeting.

• considered a request from planning commissioners to allow warehousing within properties zoned C-2 commercial. Council referred the matter back to the the commission for approval.

• heard mayor Patrick McGowan discuss recent social media complaints about the conditions of downtown buildings. He said the buildings owned by Kalvin Schantz are not controlled by the city, the old mill project is being held up by state government officials, several old houses have been razed and buildings such as the Go Bucks building have been cleaned up and made useable.