Much of county will see water rates rise

By STACY MILLBERG and MARGIE TRAX PAGE - Staff Writers
Star Beacon

December 04, 2008 10:47 pm

— Some Ashtabula County residents will see an increase in their water rates.
Ohio American Water Co. has instituted a 14.3 percent rate hike, the third water-rate increase since May 2005.
Residents of Geneva-on-the-Lake, Jefferson, Geneva Township, Ashtabula Township and Saybrook, Plymouth, Harpersfield and Austinburg townships will be affected by the increase as the county owns the water facilities in these municipalities and purchases bulk water from Ohio American.
Residents of Geneva and Rock Creek also will see rate increases as they purchase Ohio American water through the county water system.
Since the purchase of bulk water is only a portion of the total cost of operating the county water system, county residents will see an increase of about 7 percent. The increase is needed to sustain the current level of operations and cover the costs to continue to provide good service to customers, said Larry Meaney, director of the county’s Department of Environmental Services.
“The average customer will see an increase of about $1.80 per month on his or her bill,” he said.
The Ohio Public Utilities Commission passed the rate increase Nov. 5. The county absorbed the added costs for 30 days. The commissioners opposed the rate increase but approved the county’s rate increase Tuesday.
“If we don’t stay current with the charges, a future board (of commissioners), in the not-so-distant future, is going to be faced with a rate shock,” Meaney said.
County Commissioner Daniel Claypool said the county values its customers and is committed to passing along only the amount needed to operate the county’s water system effectively.
Geneva Councilman William Buskirk feels like he has been looking through a crystal ball for months, his warnings at City Council meetings always foreshadowing what he felt was inevitable.
Buskirk has been following Ohio American Water’s rate increase application to PUCO and has been a little pessimistic from the first whispers of a possible water-rate increase.
In response to the PUCO’s approval of Ohio American’s bulk water rate increase, council will vote Monday on a measure to increase the city’s volumetric water rates by 4 percent. If the measure passes, it will be the second time council has raised water rates in 20 months.
“The city refrained from passing any of the March 2007 increase of 22 percent to its customers,” Geneva water superintendent David Gilbert said. “But city officials don’t believe that the city’s budget can absorb the impact of an additional increase in the bulk water price.”
If the increase is passed Monday night, water customers will see a difference in their February water bills. Gilbert said the city will shoulder 10 percent of Ohio American’s increase.