Chillicothe Council advances wastewater grant, reviews 2% water-rate recommendation
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Summary
The Chillicothe City Councilmoved committee recommendations on a $3.5 million congressional-directed wastewater award and accepted a utilities committee recommendation to increase water rates by 2 percent; both items will go to the law director for ordinance drafting and further council consideration.
The Chillicothe City Council on May 28 voted to send several utilities items to the law directorincluding formal acceptance language for a $3,500,000 congressional-directed spending award for the city wastewater treatment plant and a utilities committee request to raise water rates by 2 percent.
The utilities committee, led by Councilman John McKeever, unanimously approved sending the congressional-directed spending (CDS) award from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to the law director and the full council for action. McKeever said the committee approved the award and recommended "enriching language" be added to comply with construction deadlines referenced by Mayor Feeney.
The committee also voted to move forward a recommendation from the water rate review committee to increase water rates by 2 percent "pursuant to chapter 91508 b of the Chillicothe codified ordinances," McKeever said. The recommended rate change will be drafted as an ordinance and returned to council for formal readings and a vote.
The utilities report also included a first-reading item to reallocate Sewer Capital project funds from a generator to the Marietta Lehi station improvement project, and a proposed amendment to the utilities cross-connection and backflow prevention policy to comply with the Ohio Administrative Code; those items will proceed through the regular ordinance process.
Why it matters: The CDS award is intended to fund the wastewater treatment plant construction; officials noted meeting state and federal construction deadlines when approving the committee assignment. A water-rate increase, if adopted after ordinance readings and votes, would directly affect city utility customers.
Committee action and next steps: The utilities committee voted unanimously to forward the CDS acceptance and the 2 percent rate recommendation to the law director for ordinance drafting; the law office and city council will consider specific ordinance language and timing for readings and votes. The transcript shows no formal ordinance vote on the CDS award or rate change at the May 28 meeting; both remain assignments to be formalized.
Additional context: The utilities committee explicitly referenced the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEP A) in connection with the requested codified-ordinance changes. The transcript records Mayor Feeneythrough McKeeverrequesting added language to meet construction deadlines, but does not include the precise text of the requested "enriching language."