After the meeting, Vice Mayor Christina McElfresh called the potential increase “ridiculous” and she felt sorry for those impacted.
Burton said Butler County increased the cost of water to the city in September, and the city has not raised the rates for residents and businesses.
McElfresh said the city has “eaten” the rate increases.
“That needs to end,” she told the Journal-News.
If the 29% rate hike is approved, Burton said for a family of four, the monthly cost of water may increase from $49.38 to $63.70 and water flat from $6.10 to $7.87, or a total of $16.09 a month.
Burton said the Finance Committee looked at potentially raising rates 5%, 10% or 29%, but recommended the highest to recoup what the city owes the county.
The city eventually will have to pay the county the past due water bills, Burton said. He’s hoping the county will waive any potential late fees, he told council members.
“This is coming from Butler County to us,” McElfresh said. “That’s all I know.”
Burton said talking about raising water rates is “not an enjoyable conversation to have.”
In 2004, the city signed a 20-year contract with the county to provide water. That contract has expired and the city and county don’t have a new contract, he said.
Monroe residents and businesses saw a 3% increase in water rates every year from 2016 to 2019, then no increase in 2020-21 and a 5% increase every year from 2022 to 2025, according to Burton’s presentation.
In the annual Piqua water study, Monroe’s combined water and sewer cost for a three-month period for 22,500 gallons of water, ranked 24th lowest out of 70 southwest Ohio jurisdictions, Burton said.
Monroe had the 10th highest water rate and the second lowest sewer rate, according to Piqua’s water study.
The city of Monroe uses the most water in the county because unlike other cities it doesn’t operate a water treatment plant, Burton said.
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