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EAST LIVERPOOL -- With a five to two vote, East Liverpool City Council passed the ordinance for a water rate increase on second read during a special meeting Monday.
Safety/Service Director David Dawson had hoped to have the ordinance pass by an emergency measure during council's regular monthly meeting May 1, but it was stopped when council members John Mercer and Robert Nizer voted against suspending the three-reading rule.
Dawson had already drafted a letter to send to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to notify them of the rate increase which would be used to fund a water line replacement project. He had to delay sending the letter when the emergency vote failed to pass.
Mercer and Nizer were the two who voted against the rate increase Monday night.
Councilman Brian Kerr said that raising the water rates was not an easy decision to make, but it had to be done.
Councilman Fred Rayl supported Kerr on his statement and added that the city hasn't seen a rate increase since 2017 and the rate increase has been needed for some time.
With the passage of the ordinance, the city's water rates will increase $2.50 per 1,000 gallons.
Council has voted to allocate $1.50 of the increase to different funds for future improvements. The meter program fund will receive 25 cents. A capital improvements fund that will be used for matching funding for future projects will get 75 cents. The fund for the future raw water line replacement project will get 50 cents from the increase.
The EPA is requiring the city show a plan to fund the replacement project.
In other business, council also passed two additional ordinances on first read by emergency measure after the Finance Committee, which met immediately before council, voted to submit them to council for a full vote.
Passed with all-in-favor votes was an ordinance authorizing the Board of Control to advertise for bids and enter into a contract for the Col-Dresden Avenue project Phase I and advertise for bids and enter into contract for the Thompson Park Restroom project.
The Col-Dresden Avenue project is a paving project being partially funded by Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) with matching funds from the city, which will come from the street levy.
This will be the third time the Thompson Park Restroom Project will be put out for bid. Previous attempts were met with bids that the city administration thought was too high.
kgarabrandt@mojonews.com