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Greenville water superintendent lays out multimillion-dollar needs; council approves 5% rate increase
Summary
Water Superintendent Curtis Locker told the council the system faces immediate and long-term capital needs — including lead-service-line replacement and meter and plant upgrades — and recommended a 5% rate increase; council approved the ordinance to raise water and sewer rates effective March 1, 2026.
Curtis Locker, Greenville's water department superintendent, presented a detailed inventory of aging equipment, regulatory mandates and multi-year projects he said require sustained funding and urged the City Council to approve a 5% water rate increase.
Locker said the city must pay roughly $250,000 every other year for lagoon cleanouts; noted chemical costs rose about 29 percent over two years (roughly $142,000); and warned that an Ohio EPA mandate to replace all lead service lines beginning in 2027 could create roughly $1.5 million in annual costs. He also listed a series of capital needs: meter replacement estimated at $2.5 million, replacement of a 1980 lime slaker (about $600,000), a new lime storage silo (about $1.25 million), replacement well lines ($2.75 million) and a future water treatment plant estimated at $65 million to $95 million.
"Clean, safe and reliable water doesn't just happen," Locker said. He argued the 5% increase proposed by staff is a modest first step to begin building reserves and avoiding unsustainable debt, saying a 5% rate equals roughly $200,000 a year in additional revenue.
Councilors pressed Locker on how the 5% figure maps to the long-term numbers he presented. Members and staff illustrated that a series of forthcoming costs could require much larger increases over the next five years if funded solely from rates: "if 5% is about $200,000, covering the roughly $1 million of additional needs could imply a substantially larger percentage," one councilor calculated during discussion.
Locker and other staff recommended clearer public communication, suggesting bill inserts and plant tours so residents can see system needs firsthand. Several council members said they want rates framed in dollars per household in addition to percentage increases to make impacts easier for customers to understand.
After discussion, the council adopted an ordinance amending water and sewer fees to increase rates by 5% effective March 1, 2026, and to adjust the stormwater fee; the ordinance passed on a recorded roll-call vote.
The council's action is intended to begin addressing immediate operating and capital pressures; staff noted other projects already budgeted for 2025 (including a $600,000 lime-slaker replacement) and said the 5% increase will apply to 2026 needs while additional actions or future increases may be required to cover the full scope of long-term projects.
The council adjourned after brief closing remarks and thanks to department staff.
