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Trumbull County officials approve water-rate hikes
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
Trumbull County commissioners have approved water-rate increases for county customers in the Champion/Bazetta, Mosquito Creek and Warren Township water districts.
The increases will raise the cost of an average water bill by about $1.35 per month in 2012.
As an example, the price of water for an average 5,000-gallon customer in the Champion/Bazetta district rises $1.35 per month from $39.90 to $41.25 this year starting March 1.
The increases will get progressively larger in 2013, 2014 and 2015, however, so that same customer will pay around $50 per month by 2015.
All the increases are the result of the city of Warren increasing the price it charges for water to the county by 12 percent in 2012, 12 percent in 2013, 10 percent in 2014 and 6 percent in 2015, said Scott Verner, Trumbull County sanitary engineer.
The county learned of Warren’s new rate Nov. 21.
The county increased the price to the three water districts Dec. 29, 2010, but those rates were based on estimates that were considerably lower than the actual rate increase the county received, Verner said.
For an average Mosquito Creek customer the price will rise from $39.77 to $41.10 this year.
An average Warren Township customer will see a rise from $31.78 to $33.15 per month.
The Champion/Bazetta district is the largest of the three at 3,041 customers; the Mosquito Creek district, located west of state Route 46 and most of it south of North River Road, is the second-largest at 661 customers.
The Warren Township district has 267 customers.
The Braceville Township water district, which has 14 customers, is seeing an increase of about $1.30 in 2012, rising from about $38.50 to about $39.80 per month this year.
That increase is the result of a 5.5 percent increase Jan. 1 for water the county receives from the city of Newton Falls.
In other business, commissioners approved a 30-work-day suspension without pay for Tim Morgan, a supervisor in the county maintenance department, for gross misconduct.
County documents say Morgan kissed a female employee working under him “very hard on the lips” Dec. 21, 2011, in the garage portion of the county maintenance department.
There were no wit- nesses.
The employee didn’t report the matter but told another worker, who reported it to management.
Morgan admitted kissing the woman but said it was mostly on the cheek and was a Christmas- related gesture.