Proposed legislation would lower water bills

STRUTHERS — City council’s public utilities committee is reviewing legislation that would leave homeowners with a lower water bill.

Mayor Daniel Mamula recommended the committee pass an ordinance that would eliminate a $6.50 debt-services charge. According to the mayor, there is $750,000 in the debt services fund, which is more than enough to cover the city’s yearly obligation for various improvements.

Mamula’s proposal also institutes a $3.50 fee to address an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency mandate requiring communities like Struthers to adopt a storm water management program.

Higher fees are proposed for the city’s commercial, industrial and institutional properties.

The new fee will pay for capital improvements, operational costs and regulatory personnel to improve the quality of the city’s storm water, the mayor said. The fee is projected to raise about $200,000 per year.

The proposed ordinance may yet undergo changes before it is presented to the full council. Rich DeLuca, waste treatment plant manager, recommended committee members alter the legislation to include a $2 capital improvements fee.

“Ten years down the line, we’ll be looking at replacing some things, and that’s going to be expensive,” he said. “Every time something happens down there, it’s a million dollars.”

Mamula disagreed, however, saying the city could issue bonds for capital improvement needs as they arise. He said he hopes the legislation will pass through council before the end of June.