Akron officials have proposed gradually increasing sewer rates, costing the average customer $22 more per month by 2029.
If approved by Akron City Council, the 5.3% volumetric rate increase would begin next year. In addition, an annual Fixed Cost Recovery Charge would start next year at $5 more per month in 2026. That charge would remain the same in 2027, then increase to $10 in 2028 and $12.50 in 2029.
The legislation also proposes payment assistance for low-income residents, said Emily Collins, environmental services director for Akron’s public service department.
“Our main goal is to make sure that any rate increase that we propose is one that is modest over those years, and that it considers affordability needs of our residents,” Collins said.
This is the first proposed retail rate increase for the 75,000 sewer customers in the city and surrounding townships since 2015, Public Service Director Chris Ludle said.
The increase is needed to help cover the costs of more than 20 projects completed over the past decade to fix the city's aging sewer infrastructure, according to Ludle. The projects were required under a federal consent decree to improve waterways and prevent sewage overflows since 2014.
City officials are proud of the improvements made, but they’ve come at a price, Ludle said.
“By 2027, we're going to run out of money unless we have a rate increase,” Ludle said. “We have a responsibility not only to the system, but also, we have a responsibility to keep enough fund balance to take care of all the assets that we own.”
Ludle, Collins and Deputy Service Director Jeff Bronowski introduced the proposal to city council’s public service committee Monday afternoon.
How much will it cost the average customer?
The average Akron residential customer uses 400 cubic feet (hcf) per month, Ludle said. Under the combined volumetric rate and fixed cost recovery charge increases, their monthly sewer bill would increase by $7.24 in 2026 and another $2.36 in 2027, according to the city’s proposal.
"Every effort was made to make these as modest and moderate and slow as possible, to minimize the burden on every residents' budget," Bronowski said.
The bills may increase even more if the city is required to complete its final project required by the consent decree: an enhanced-rate treatment center.
For the past two years, city officials have fought to scrap the EHRT, which would cost more than $260 million to construct, officials said.
The EHRT would treat potential sewer overflows in the Little Cuyahoga River, near Cascade Locks Park in Downtown Akron. However, there hasn’t been an overflow there in nearly 400 days, Ludle said.
The city is negotiating the project in a federal appeals court with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EHRT would cost rate payers a flat fee of $15 per month – in addition to the other gradual increases – in 2028 and 2029, according to the city’s proposal.
The EHRT is no longer needed due to the improvements made under the consent decree, Collins said. Instead, they’ve proposed alternatives that would provide similar environmental benefits while saving ratepayer dollars, she said.
City officials are in mediation and expect to know a decision by the end of this year, Collins said.
City offering financial assistance to renters for the first time
Akron Mayor Shammas Malik added that he understands sewer bills are already a "burden" to ratepayers, but officials have worked to make the new proposal as modest as possible.
"I think that the reality is that, you know, you look at electricity costs, they're going up, you look at gas costs, they're going up, you look at other costs are going up, it is simply not mathematically feasible to run a system without some increase, right?" Malik said. "I think there's a lot of intentionality that's gone into how that occurs."
To help make the rate increases more affordable, city officials are proposing expanding a customer assistance program to include tenants in addition to homeowners, he added.
Residents with a household income at or below 175% of the federal poverty guidelines or have a Homestead Exemption will receive a 40% discount on their total sewer bill, according to the proposal.
The city created a similar program after raising water rates in 2023. If residents are already in this program for their water rates, they'll be automatically enrolled for the sewer program, officials said.
City council members will review the proposal in the coming weeks and make suggestions. However, Collins added the city can't afford to modify the proposed rate increase.
"We're not trying to take more than what we need here," Collins said. "This is literally what we need to run the system well, with the level of responsibility that's required of us."
