Utilities committee approves six Department of Public Utilities ordinances, including $30M sewer bonding and several sole‑source contracts

Cleveland City Council’s Utilities Committee approved six ordinances on Jan. 9 that clear the way for sewer rehabilitation work, equipment‑maintenance contracts and other Department of Public Utilities (DPU) purchases.

The package included an ordinance authorizing the second year of a multi‑year sewer replacement and rehabilitation program that will use bond proceeds and open public procurement for construction and consultant services; several requirement or sole‑source awards for maintenance and replacement of proprietary equipment used by the water and wastewater divisions; authority to exercise an option year for customer care and billing managed services; continued calibration and certification services for drinking water testing equipment; renewal of authority to execute participant agreements for the city’s 800 MHz public safety radio system; and renewal of a requirement contract for AMR/AMR endpoints and mounting kits for water meters.

Why it matters: The sewer ordinance is part of a multi‑year capital plan for the Division of Water Pollution Control. City staff told the committee the division borrowed just under $30 million in 2024 to fund the capital repairs program and expects to spend the funds within three years in compliance with the bond indenture. The other ordinances affect operations the public does not see daily — meter endpoints, laboratory calibration for Ohio EPA reporting, radio communications and equipment repairs — but officials said the goods and services are necessary to keep system operations safe and compliant.

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