Committee backs sewer maintenance agreement with Village of Bratenahl

The Cuyahoga County Council Public Works Procurement and Contracting Committee on July 16 favorably recommended Resolution 20250250 to the full council, asking that second reading be suspended so county staff can begin work with the Village of Bratenahl immediately.

The resolution authorizes a revenue-generating utility agreement between Cuyahoga County and the Village of Bratenahl for maintenance and repair of storm and sanitary sewers and pumping stations located in County Sewer District No. 25. The village set rates for 2026 at $2 for sanitary and $1 for storm, the County said.

Melanie Say, Department of Public Works, told the committee the county’s sewer program now serves 44 communities, including 33 “full-service” agreements and 11 “direct-bill” communities. "The services that we'll provide under this particular agreement can vary ... cleaning of, the regular sewer and CCTV cleaning, testing, smoke and dye testing," Say said. She said the county may perform some construction work when needed and will coordinate with a municipality's engineer on required structural repairs.

Council members asked how the county handles connections with neighboring cities. Say said the sewers "do connect underground to the city," and described emergency and non-emergency responses: the county will address emergencies immediately and will coordinate planned structural repairs with the community's engineer. When asked about the program's finances, Say said, "We're not, necessarily profiting, but, we do employ our workers and this money supports those that employment," later adding, "We break even." Committee members were told communities often set aside funds for emergencies or capital purchases and may not spend all collected funds in a year.

A committee member moved that the panel favorably recommend Resolution 20250250 to the full council with a recommendation for second-reading suspension; a second was recorded and the motion passed by voice vote. The committee did not record an individual roll-call vote in the minutes; the chair announced, "Ayes have it."

The County will bill the village on the tax duplicate, and the county's operations for the work include routine cleaning, televising (CCTV), testing and, when needed, construction repairs. The agreement is intended to take effect for Bratenahl's first year in the program in 2026 at the rates the village established.

The committee also asked whether specific nearby communities are in the county program. Say confirmed Newburgh Heights is full-service and that Lakewood participates under a direct-bill agreement; she said Cuyahoga Heights and Brook Park are not part of the county’s current service agreements.

The committee approved the minutes from its July 16 meeting earlier in the session.