Some in Valley will be paying more for water

MINERAL RIDGE — A court of jurisdiction has allowed the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District to increase its water rate by nearly 40 percent during the next three years.

The MVSD sells treated bulk water wholesale to about 300,000 customers through its member cities — Youngstown, Niles and McDonald — for resale.

The action approved by the court today resulted in Youngstown increasing its rate by 30 1/2 percent over three years, with the first hike effective Sunday.

The court of jurisdiction is composed of Judge Peter J. Kontos of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court and Judge James C. Evans of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

The MVSD rate increase was announced during a meeting of the district’s board of directors.

The increase comes as no surprise, as Tom Holloway, MVSD chief engineer, has been meeting with representatives of the three communities to discuss with them why the increase is needed.

The money will be used to pay off some debt and provide financing for more than $15 million in capital improvement projects.

For the complete story, see Saturday's Vindicator and Vindy.com.