Still no vote on sewer rates

Council sends proposal back to committee

Lorain residents will have wait even longer to find out whether city council will vote to raise their sewer rates.

A special call meeting was held June 22 for a final reading on an ordinance raising the rate annually until 2026. Despite a looming deadline to make good on a consent decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in a meeting that lasted about two minutes, council voted 6-5

to send the ordinance back to committee.

Mayor Chase Ritenauer called the meeting after an attempt to take a vote at the June 19 regular council meeting ended without one.

Council member Joe Koziura cited a lack of information when he “reluctantly” moved for the return to the Utilities Committees.

“I think some of our members have still some questions about it,” he said. “If the deadline is supposedly July we have all next week. We can meet five times next week; I’m game.”

Koziura continued, saying he didn’t believe there were the votes June 22 and council members would be better prepared to vote next week.

Council members Joe Faga, Dennis Flores, Pamela Carter, Brian Gates and Joshua Thornsberry voted against punting the issue.

Speaking after the meeting, Faga, who chairs the Streets and Utilities Committee, said he intends to invite the EPA to the meeting, which has yet to be scheduled.

In a phone interview with The Morning Journal, Ritenauer said if council ends up voting the increase down he will be forced to inform the EPA of the city’s unwillingness to pay for the mandated work on the wastewater treatment system.

He said the EPA has built

a relationship with the city leading to the reduced increase proposal council is contemplating now. A no vote on the legislation would, he believes, cause the issue to be forwarded to the U.S. Department of Justice.

“The second it goes to the Department of Justice, that relationship ends and an enforcement relationship begins where the Department of Justice has the ability to impose, theoretically, they can impose rates as well as fines and penalties and interests and a whole slew of other charges,” he said.

“The way it is, is we either pay now or we can pay later.”

Ritenauer said Akron’s attempt to defy the EPA led to rates and bills higher than if they’d just passed an increase.

Council member Mary Springowski, who seconded the motion to send the issue back to committee, said after the meeting she understands the need to comply with the EPA, but she is looking for programs to help ease the increased burden on the poor and those on fixed incomes who the increase could harm.

“I’ve been given some leads on some potential programs,” she said.

The legislation would increase the “readiness to serve” charge on the average residents’ water bill from 30 cents to $6 a month for the rest of 2017. The following two years it would increase $6 annually.

The fee would increase by $3 in 2021, then by $1 a year until 2026.