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City Manager proposes meter charge; average Conneaut water bills could rise $8–$10
Summary
City Manager Mr. Sanford told Council the city will add a meter charge to water bills to fund replacement of aging meters (many around 15 years old); he estimated the average monthly bill would increase about $8–$10 once the change and rate adjustments take effect.
City Manager Mr. Sanford told Conneaut City Council on Jan. 26 that the city will implement a meter charge on water bills to finance replacement of aging water meters. Mr. Sanford said most of the city’s meters are about 15 years old while the typical life cycle is roughly 10 years, and estimated the combination of new charges and a rate adjustment would raise the average household water bill by about $8 to $10 per month.
Mr. Sanford presented the proposal as a revenue method commonly used by other water systems. He said the meter charge is intended to create a stable funding stream for a multi-year replacement program; he did not give a specific dollar-per-meter figure or an implementation schedule at the meeting.
Other operational items in the City Manager’s report touched on water system maintenance required by aging infrastructure: Water Distribution repaired a main break at Grove and Lake Road described as a shear break, and the city is tracking overtime and salt purchases tied to recent winter-storm response to evaluate possible reimbursement after the governor’s statewide emergency declaration.
Finance Director Mr. Williams separately reported a delay in the mailing of some water bills that has since been resolved. Council did not take formal action on the meter-charge proposal during the Jan. 26 meeting; Mr. Sanford indicated follow-up steps and staff work will proceed through the usual administrative channels and at upcoming work sessions.
What this means for residents: the proposal would add a recurring meter charge to bills and, combined with planned rate adjustments, is estimated to increase average monthly bills by about $8–$10; specific fees, timelines and implementation details were not specified at the meeting and will require staff follow-up and formal adoption if changes are required by ordinance or resolution.
Next steps: staff follow-up and placement of any formal ordinance or rate schedule for Council consideration at a future meeting.
