[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6189491,"mediaKeyId","5056953-ea336c55f2d899d724cb21acc9c145ca","parentId",5056953,"title","Utilities director updates board on capital projects, loan nominations and recent bids","audioSeconds",319,"startMs",2982000,"endMs",3301000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5056953-ea336c55f2d899d724cb21acc9c145ca&start=2982&end=3301","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5056953-ea336c55f2d899d724cb21acc9c145ca/thumbnail_2982000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6189491/Bowling-Green/Wood-County/Ohio/Utilities-director-updates-board-on-capital-projects-loan-nominations-and-recent-bids","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6189491-550e135ed038715980886e03818d311c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771168580&Signature=YzM3q1TCb89PkLEZncjqoKN5Ciw0UA~XFYwxT~SepqwLZFAbmyja3~64w0arctAHMRkeQUTcjXm3pnf3MbHCtTXSCXYw3ay70WDo5a~kTggWrpgDb4JfCEi4Qtvz4ZZPlclmyKEg~1qaiPay7TYTcLKMP4gfT5qio718eGoatYBMiTjLkqcCHWFmu8M-NGomdSTuC0H6VBK2br8qfgI-ikvNw9MkiSLFbG85YQFZE8fXie1jcqSVcbH6ujwiH8AXdqDWa9uq2qwuvK0qH5j35A3M89dFOOupHHsQPojdZjp10By-8dknbMDCDeXe8n3uUiWKndg-7iM5H3rvC986fw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Bowling Green, OH ","date","2025-06-24T10:12:18Z","article","At the Board of Public Utilities meeting staff summarized capital projects, procurement activity and nominations to Ohio's drinking-water loan program.

Brian, the utilities director, said the city nominated six projects for the Ohio EPA Water Supply Revolving Loan Account (WSRLA) and clarified that nomination does not guarantee funding; a future loan agreement would require board and council approval. Staff said the draft award list included all six nominations and that loan interest rates were currently in the low single digits with occasional principal-forgiveness opportunities.

Staff reported active and upcoming projects across utility divisions: the low-service pump-station project is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2025 and Peterson Construction was awarded that contract. The membrane-expansion work at the water plant is in design with Kimberly Horn as engineer and a 30% design review pending. Jones & Henry were selected for clarifier improvements engineering and contract negotiations were underway; Geosyntec Consultants was selected for a reservoir study and contract negotiations were in progress.

On distribution and collection, Hillebrand Construction was the low bidder on the Park Avenue water line project at $660,000 with work scheduled to be done before the university fall term (target August 25), though staff noted material delays could push completion. At the water pollution control facility, staff reported Paul Mercer Odor Control bids returned with Peterson Construction as low bidder at about $1.5 million; the clarifier-improvements construction contract at the wastewater plant drew multiple bidders and Peterson Construction was the low bidder on the $10.1 million project. Staff said equipment orders for a UV-system upgrade are placed and that in-plant staff will install the first channel's equipment in late 2025 with the second channel to follow in 2026.

Brad Tussing, acting superintendent at the wastewater plant, noted ongoing preventative maintenance tasks such as painting mixer huts and DI water-filtration work for the lab. Electric division staff reported pole replacements and general maintenance; decorative downtown light-pole refurbishing was also underway.

No formal procurement approvals were recorded during the meeting; staff characterized the report as informational. Several projects — including the clarifier improvements and reservoir study — remain in contract negotiation or design phases and will return to the board for required approvals when staff seeks loan agreements or construction contracts.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of Public Utilities Meeting - 6/23/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Bowling Green utilities staff reported nominations to the Ohio EPA water-loan program and summarized active capital projects, recent bid results and selected consultants and contractors for water, wastewater and electric work.","taxTitle","Bowling Green, Wood County, Ohio","taxId",56284,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6189495,"Utilities director outlines council proposal to reallocate income-tax money; water and sewer rates could rise",201,2164000,2365000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5056953-ea336c55f2d899d724cb21acc9c145ca&start=2164&end=2365","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5056953-ea336c55f2d899d724cb21acc9c145ca/thumbnail_2164000.jpg","/articles/6189495/Bowling-Green/Wood-County/Ohio/Utilities-director-outlines-council-proposal-to-reallocate-income-tax-money-water-and-sewer-rates-could-rise","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6189495-da707c14081779798065444d7d6fd60a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771168580&Signature=LP-k49QYIpMGCtxdPLAm-faeyBXcCoRGlMM4Gz-yHIT8lIcsTrmf2TWyW~1VQ9Sk2jgaVfGjooLKVlUu9k2A5~6xTDiFWvvbiOEhhzz~a~FzT6c1L8cVYXet9Pus9MoBAmF6kQLVfS5AMOgsavHOPoINjBXIYKMgCnoFle8BcggQCJZ2UDXLo-GTQ2ezjwegKP7QDSodh-ffZMKrhqWM5IU7gSQk8E-Y3hHyLrO3wNEXjj19Hp68qsSIEpNvWHxQB0vaHoc64q2A4BTCH0V2vQIUThMFViobkOsbsoOCj~3eV5Xr~EECCAlhYcRdysvVyUYmsLHkD5H6JHTwJf4h3Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Board of Public Utilities heard a staff briefing on a City Council proposal to change how part of the city's 1.5% income tax is distributed, and on the potential consequences for the Water & Sewer Capital Improvement Fund and utility customer rates.

Brian (last name not recorded), the utilities director, explained that current ordinances allocate 33.3% of the first 1.5% income tax to the Water & Sewer Capital Improvement Fund (equivalent to 0.5% of the city's income tax). The council proposal discussed June 12 would reduce that allocation by 0.05 percentage points (from 0.50% to 0.45% of the tax) for the next three years and then set the allocation at 0.35% going forward.

Using the 2025 budget as a baseline, staff estimated the Water & Sewer Capital Improvement Fund would collect about $6.7 million in the budget year under current allocations and about $4.7 million under the proposed future distribution; staff characterized that change as a drop of roughly $2.0 million in annual receipts under the presented assumptions. To sustain the same level of capital work without the income-tax share, staff estimated the utilities would need roughly $1.5 million in additional revenue over the three-year period, which translates to an estimated water-rate revenue increase of about $750,000 and a similar $750,000 for sewer by the end of the three years.

Brian outlined modeled rate adjustments that would be needed to bridge the gap if council adopts the reallocation and no other revenue source is found: water rates were estimated to rise about 5% per year (about 15% total over three years) and sewer rates about 4.7% per year (about 14% total). Using sample consumption assumptions (500 cubic feet), the staff table showed a residential water charge increasing from $13.70 in 2025 to about $15.80 in 2028, and the sewer charge moving from $23.25 to $26.55.

Brian emphasized these are preliminary estimates. If council approves the reallocation, staff told the board they would likely commission a cost-of-service study (the city typically uses Courtney & Associates) to refine rate design and determine how to equitably allocate costs across residential, commercial and industrial customers. Any rate changes would require follow-up board review and likely subsequent council action. No rate or distribution change was adopted at this meeting.","City staff told the Board of Public Utilities about a City Council proposal to reallocate a portion of the 1.5% income tax away from the Water & Sewer Capital Improvement Fund to other government capital funds; the presentation included modeled revenue impacts and projected water and sewer rate increases if the change proceeds.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6189500,"Residents urge Bowling Green utility to drop rooftop-solar surcharge and expand local renewables",0,3451000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5056953-ea336c55f2d899d724cb21acc9c145ca&start=3451&end=3451","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5056953-ea336c55f2d899d724cb21acc9c145ca/thumbnail_3451000.jpg","/articles/6189500/Bowling-Green/Wood-County/Ohio/Residents-urge-Bowling-Green-utility-to-drop-rooftop-solar-surcharge-and-expand-local-renewables","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6189500-9943ba3439da88f5721b0224bf666260/orig.mp4?Expires=1771168580&Signature=Fpz3xm205K~eoFNb9nqRHoaMkkhTofO-eH9OK9Ni2ZDMzJJGgVzegaVakPhpJrrJN89U30Edi1JUinRSIRpf4d4eST2WY5Vy~8W3PQOHV~rXjLGNt1FKjdi~TMbGYOsZG3e8-KwzaoRXUEOHsPAlVZZJB8VtJqCdOb0~V3FGQS5D8WjUuMvlyJ9YnQfusN4YZMtnaa~omvK3siNGYXpm~KkWv4rE8UEqIIKGLBfBaD-YvvkB0I-cqqwHNWWm51D-5w~K4rb-mOqdIDSYE2XfIyjsiz9G-j6-wlDdF9LBRsD0QNLIS~j8roIoYATDZOR9TKQ1WKAzosSurrzXp6COzw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A group of Bowling Green residents pressed the Board of Public Utilities on the city's surcharge for rooftop solar, arguing the fee discourages installations and undermines local resilience during storms.

Joe DeMar, a Bowling Green resident at 517 South Main Street, told the board the current policy places a monthly surcharge of $4 per installed kilowatt on rooftop solar systems and asked the board to \"end the electric facilities charge added to the bills of solar panel owners in Bowling Green.\" He said the city pays 7.5' per kilowatt-hour for solar owners' excess generation, sells that power at full retail (13.13'/kWh) and — based on his examination of three local systems — \"the city makes more profit selling the excess power from these systems than it loses in delivery revenue.\" DeMar said the surcharge has discouraged new rooftop installations: \"there are now only nine solar installations in the entire city of 30,000 people.\"

Rose Drain, speaking on behalf of BG Save Our Neighborhoods, asked the board to give the city's climate-action team's research \"thoughtful and serious consideration\" and described municipal examples from other Ohio communities that support rooftop and community solar programs. Jacqueline (Jackie) Nathan and Jim Evans also described models from Dayton, Westerville and Yellow Springs, and urged the board to study community solar, virtual power plants and sustainable energy utilities as alternatives to the city's current approach.

Speakers cited the Bowling Green Climate Action and Resiliency Improvement Plan as the city's policy context for expanding renewables and made resiliency the primary rationale: distributed solar plus batteries can provide temporary power for charging phones, running medical devices, preserving food and operating heating or cooling during outages. DeMar and other commenters also argued customers with rooftop solar reduce peak demand and transmission expenses for the utility.

Board members and staff acknowledged the comments and clarified terminology during the exchange: the surcharge is catalogued in the utility rate schedule as Rider E (the \"electric facilities charge\" for rooftop-solar customers). No formal action to change the rate was taken during the meeting; the item remained public comment and will require a policy or ordinance change and board action before the charge can be removed.

The board did not vote on any motion related to the surcharge at this meeting. Commenters asked the Board of Public Utilities and city council to revisit the surcharge in light of falling solar costs, inflation-reduction-act funding now available to municipalities, and the city's own climate plan.","Public commenters at the Bowling Green Board of Public Utilities meeting urged the board to remove the city's electric facilities surcharge for rooftop solar (Rider E), expand community-solar options and use distributed renewables to boost local resiliency during extreme weather.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Utilities director updates board on capital projects, loan nominations and recent bids

Utilities director outlines council proposal to reallocate income-tax money; water and sewer rates could rise

Residents urge Bowling Green utility to drop rooftop-solar surcharge and expand local renewables