The director of utilities reviewed the city’s written responses to the Sewer and Water Advisory Board’s (SWAB) May 2025 biannual report and said administrators are moving on several recommendations while acknowledging the board’s frustration.

Director Carbonaro said the department is preparing a sanitary sewer evaluation study (SSES) required by the city’s consent decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; the SSES will map inflow and infiltration (I&I) and dry‑weather flow levels in sewer districts and guide future lining and pump‑station work. Carbonaro also said recent sewer‑lining work has reduced peak flows at the wastewater plant, and that the city has pursued WPCLF (Water Pollution Control Loan Fund) loans for pump‑station upgrades including Yeager, Earl and Tacoma.

The director responded point‑by‑point to SWAB recommendations: identifying uncertainty about how many older homes have footer tiles tied into sanitary sewers, explaining that the utility’s current budget cannot fund door‑to‑door investigations, and noting that some language SWAB sought — such as inspection and fee conditions for satellite communities — is already included in existing agreements. He cited state law as a constraint, saying sewer rental revenue cannot be used to extend sewers outside the municipal corporate limits (transcript reference to Ohio Revised Code language in the packet).

SWAB members and councilors pushed back. Councilwoman Spangowski said volunteers told her they feel ignored and sometimes proposed dissolving the advisory board because recommendations were not acted on. SWAB member Carrie Buckley said board leaders and key department staff have missed recent meetings and that volunteer attendance is falling. Several council members urged renewed administrative commitment, attendance at meetings and work to build a SWAB project the board could complete — for example a program to help residents keep water service on or pilot a “dry basement” cost‑sharing program.

Why it matters: SWAB was created to advise on sewer and water policy; members say they are losing faith and attendance. The city is continuing capital work under its EPA agreement, but residents say basement backups and localized sewage problems persist. Council members asked administration to reaffirm commitments and to send the city engineer to review subdivision plans to confirm impacts on existing sewer capacity.

Next steps and constraints: the director said the SSES will go out to request for proposals (RFP) this year to update a study that was last performed in 2011; administration said engineering will evaluate proposed sewer extensions and that the city will not use sewer rental revenue to build sewers outside the municipal boundary where state law prohibits it. No formal motions or votes were taken.

Notes: The director also said the city has been advertising duplicate‑bill options, promoted an irrigation meter option to separate irrigation volumes, and requested that fee language for satellite communities remain in future intergovernmental agreements.