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Lorain County hires Raftelis for $25,000 sanitary sewer financial plan and rate study
Summary
The board approved a $25,000 consulting contract with Raftelis Financial Consultants to review the county's sanitary sewer finances and OM&R fee after customer counts grew from ~3,145 to about 8,000; county staff said the study may show lower per‑customer rates.
Lorain County Commissioners on Jan. 27 authorized a consulting agreement with Raftelis Financial Consultants Inc. not to exceed $25,000 to produce a sanitary sewer financial plan and rate study (Res. 26‑66). The effort responds to a substantial increase in the county sewer customer base and is intended to analyze whether the existing Operations, Maintenance & Replacement (OM&R) fee remains appropriate.
County staff said the OM&R fee was originally set in 2016 at $21.00 per Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU) per month and was intended to adjust annually with CPI but not exceed 3%. The transcript states the current OM&R rate is $29.51 per month and is expected to rise to $30.40 based on 2025 CPI; staff said the customer base has grown to roughly 8,000 EDUs from an original base of about 3,145. Sanitary Engineer staff said, “This study will show the appropriate rates for operation, repair and maintenance” and expressed hope that a larger customer base could reduce per‑customer rates.
The board approved the contract unanimously. Funding for the consulting agreement was cited as available in the Sanitary Engineering account (7100‑7100‑300‑304‑11‑6200‑6218); the study will assess current revenues, projected growth and recommended rate adjustments.
