Water rates going up for 1.2M in northeast Ohio

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland’s city council has approved a rate increase for the city’s water department, which serves 1.2 million people in 72 northeast Ohio communities.

WJW-TV reports that the council says the average customer in Cleveland will see their quarterly bill for water rise from about $46.50 to more than $84 in 2015. Customers in the farthest zone outside of Cleveland who now pay an average of more than $88 per quarter will be paying more than $133 in four years.

Cleveland Chief Operating Officer Darnell Brown told council members the rate hike was needed to maintain water quality.

The council OK’d the increase on a 10-8 vote Monday night. Councilman Jeff Johnson was one of the “nos,” saying raising water rates was “not right.”