Higher water, sewer rates eyed in Canal Winchester
Canal Winchester residents could see higher water and sewer charges starting in 2023 after several years of steady rates.
The city’s more than 2,800 residential and business customers currently pay $6.46 per 1,000 gallons and $6 per 1,000 gallons of sewer service.
City Council is expected to vote on proposed new charges at its Oct. 3 meeting that would increase fees to $6.62 for water usage and $6.16 for sewer beginning Jan. 1. The rates would continue to increase by 2.5% each year to $7.13 for water and $6.62 for sewer in 2026.
A family of four using 4,000 gallons of water and sewer, plus a stormwater charge of $6, would see monthly bills rise to $55.84 next year and continue to increase to $61 in 2026.
“Our last ordinance was two years of no increases and two years of 2% increases,” city Public Service Director Matt Peoples told City Council on Sept. 6. “Going through the history of that, we went four years total with no increases.”
Peoples said chemical costs have “gone through the roof,” and that the current water treatment plant, constructed in 1997, requires upkeep.
“We’re coming up on 20 years with the existing plant,” he said. “We’re getting to the point where we’re replacing some things.”
Potential capital improvement projects in the coming years could include “an $18 million to $20 million sanitary sewer headworks project,” Peoples added.
Public comment time cut at council meetings
Residents who go before City Council during the allotted public comment period during regularly scheduled meetings will need to get to the point quicker.
Council amended its rules on Sept. 19, reducing the time guests may speak from five minutes to three minutes on “concerns or requests related to the operations or policies of the city.”
However, the president of council or presiding officer may allow visitors to speak for longer than three minutes.
Resident Ann Bennett, who regularly appears at meetings, objected to the changes.
“The fact is that presiding officers rarely, if ever, extend that time,” she said. “In fact, especially when controversial issues arise, presiding officers are so eager to shut down public comments that the speaker is interrupted with a one-minute warning.”
Written comments now may be submitted to council by noon on the day of a regularly scheduled meeting. The previous rule required written comments to be submitted by the "end of the day" on the Friday prior to a council meeting.
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Water, sewer rates could increase in Canal Winchester
