The proposed rate increases would run between 2012-2016. The District readjusts its rates about every five years, and this time a 13% annual hike is being proposed, which means a homeowner with a $90 sewer bill today would see that rise to $157 by 2016.
The Sewer District's Deputy Director Mike Bucci says those additional revenues will help pay for a program to reduce the flow of raw sewage into the Lake.
MIKE BUCCI: Plus, we have to maintain our existing infrastructure. We're looking at, over the next five years, over a billion dollars of construction.
Bucci says the Sewer District is offering several programs to help ease the financial pain for customers, including the elimination of a monthly minimum charge that all customers had to pay, regardless of how much water they used; that will be replaced by a smaller base charge on each bill. Bucci adds, there will also be what the District calls an "affordability program", featuring reduced rates for households on limited incomes.
MIKE BUCCI: So, we tried to take into account that we are in hard economic times, and our number one customer complaint, which was our minimum bill, so we tried to address that in this 5-year period.
The rate increase is currently before the Sewer District's Board of Trustees who will make their decision after six public information meetings are held. Here's the meeting schedule:
Monday April 11 - Beachwood Recreation Center, 25325 Fairmount Blvd at 7 pm
Tuesday April 19 - Barlow Community Center, 41 S. Oviatt St, Hudson at 7 pm
Tuesday April 26 - Gunning Recreation Center, 16700 Puritas Rd, Cleveland at 7 pm
Wednesday May 4 - Middleburg Heights Recreation Center, 16000 Bagley Rd at 7 pm
Saturday May 14 - Easterly Wastewater Treatment Plant, 14021 Lakeshore Blvd, Cleveland at 9 am (includes a tour of the plant)
