Trumbull County sanitary engineers propose $12/1,000-gallon rate to cover rising bulk water costs; commissioners seek homestead discount details

Trumbull County sanitary engineering proposed raising water service rates to $12 per 1,000 gallons during the commissioners' March 25 workshop as officials grappled with steep increases in the county's bulk water costs and aging system needs.

The recommendation, presented by Gary Newbrow, Trumbull County sanitary engineer, is intended to recover rising purchase and operating costs and to stabilize the sanitary fund’s finances. Newbrow said the proposed $12 rate “provides us with 9 and a half,” a reference to the revenue target his office is using to close the current funding gap. He told commissioners the system serves about 11,000 customers and that the county had a $2.3 million unencumbered balance entering 2023 that has since shrunk amid higher bulk-water charges and other costs.

The rate increase proposal followed a multi-year review of district…