MANSFIELD, Ohio — Mansfield City Council will consider legislation that will raise Mansfield property owners’ sewer rates beginning in 2016.
In 2014, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency issued orders for Mansfield to perform improvements to its treatment plant and collections system, City Engineer Bob Bianchi said.
“The issue is really two-fold,” Bianchi said. “Number one, Mansfield has an aging infrastructure — as well as other communities; we’re certainly not alone on that front. We’ve got pipes well over 100 years old that are still in use today.”
The aging system has created issues — storm water has entered the sanitary sewer system.
“The sanitary system is certainly not equipped to handle the amount of storm water it’s currently receiving,” he said. “We have a sanitary system that is aging and accepting too much storm water into the system where it overloads the treatment plant. The treatment plant cannot keep up with adequately treating the sewage.”
Mansfield’s plant is equipped to consistently handle 12 million gallons a day, Bianchi said.
“During certain rain events, the plant might see 60 million gallons a day,” he said.
Officials are looking to increase the plant’s capacity and perform needed improvements, as well as make improvements to the collections system to keep the system functioning as intended.
“Legislation was introduced to increase sewer rates in an effort to pay for the improvements over the next 10 years,” Bianchi said.
The proposal entails raising the sewer portion of the utility bill 18 percent in 2016, 2017 and 2018, then 10 percent in 2019 and then 3 percent annually thereafter.
“This rate increase only affects the sewer portion of the bill, which represents about 55 percent of the entire utility bill, the other part being water,” he said. “Water rates will not increase as a part of this legislation.”
The cumulative increase would be approximately 9.7 percent in 2016. So, if a citizen’s utility bill averages $30 a month, for example, the bill would increase by $2.91.
In accordance with EPA mandates, approximately $19.7 million must be generated to make needed improvements.
Council will vote on the legislation at its Jan. 5 meeting.
“On average in Ohio, sewer bills have increased 4.2 percent annually,” Bianchi said. “That is data directly from the EPA.”
Mansfield hasn’t had a sewer rate increase since 2005, triggering this issue.
“We do not believe we would be coming to the citizens for this increase because we would have the revenue in place to do the necessary improvements, Bianchi said. “What we are proposing is to do a small increase every year.
“That way we don’t have to come to the citizens for another significant increase in the future.”
He also pointed out that in the last 15 years, the EPA has issued 627 findings and orders.
“[Mansfield] is one of those 627,” he said. “We’re not alone on these EPA mandates. This is a problem throughout Ohio.”
