CINCINNATI — The Hamilton County Commission voted to increase utility rates for the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) for the first time in roughly eight years.
The commissioners voted yes to next year's MSD budget, which included a 3% rate increase.
Commissioner Alicia Reece was the lone vote against the rate increase, and she shared her grievances about it Thursday.
"Every decision that I am making and will make is as a representative of the shareholders, AKA the taxpayers," Reece said. "I have some grave concerns."
MSD Director Diana Christy previously told WXVU that the increase is needed to maintain current service levels.
"Our chemical costs alone are over a million dollars greater than they were a year ago," Christy previously told commissioners. "Natural gas increases [are] just under a million dollars. That plus our disposal costs for our solids disposal — all three of those categories are the main driver for an increase in our non-personnel budget."
The 3% increase will cost homeowners roughly $1.50 extra per month, Commissioner Denise Driehaus said.
"The increase is very modest," she said. "We’ve worked hard to make sure that it’s only a $1.50 per ratepayer.”
That 3% applies to four charges: minimum base charge; commodity charge (based on water usage); surcharge (for commercial/industrial charges); and pretreatment charge (for industrial customers).
A prior version of MSD's budget called for an even high increase, but the commission worked with MSD to bring that down.
“I’m convinced we need to have this increase," Driehaus said. "We started at a higher number, 7%. MSD has altered their operating budget which has now allowed us to go down to 3%.”
Driehaus called the rate increase a reality check.
"I’ve always said we’ll raise rates, but only when we have to," Driehaus said. "As I sit here, I think this is the moment in time where we have to.”
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