Toledo City Council without discussion Tuesday postponed a vote on whether to send a charter amendment to the November ballot that, if passed, would create a new regional water commission.
After a public hearing Aug. 2, several council members requested changes to the charter amendment’s language, including assurances that discounted rates will be offered to seniors, that there will be a lead-line replacement program, and that low-income assistance will be available.
Language was also added to ensure that a Toledo representative will always serve as either the president or secretary of the new commission, as requested by Councilman Yvonne Harper.
Toledo City Council will not vote on the regional water commission today. Instead, they'll hold the vote until Aug. 21 to give council more time to mull the proposal. Here's my story from last week: https://t.co/K5p0SMMJjX
— Sarah Elms (@BySarahElms) August 14, 2018
Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz wants to form a commission made up of the utility directors from each community that decides to buy Toledo’s water, plus two representatives from Toledo. The commission would recommend water rates for all customers and recommend capital improvements to the Collins Park Water Treatment Plant and other infrastructure, which would remain owned by Toledo.
Toledo City Council would reserve the right to veto the commission’s decisions, though the mayor on his own could not.
Council set a special meeting for Aug. 21 to discuss the revised charter amendment. It must vote by Sept. 7 for the question to make it on the Nov. 6 ballot.
“I wanted to give all of us one more week to digest it,” Council President Matt Cherry said.
Mr. Kapszukiewicz pitched his plan to form a regional water commission after city council members made it clear there wouldn’t be enough votes to support the Toledo Area Water Authority. TAWA is the regional water plan leaders from Toledo and its suburbs pledged in January to work toward, but it proved unpopular among Toledoans who did not want to lease or sell the city’s water plant to the new system.
The mayor’s plan would phase in equalized water rates across participating communities and commit to water contracts of no less than 20 years. It also would offer discounted rates to seniors, establish a low-income customer rate, and create a lead-line replacement program, though those items weren’t initially written into the charter amendment.
So far Lucas County is the only existing Toledo water customer not exploring other options.
Sylvania and Monroe County are jointly investigating what it would take to connect to Detroit’s Great Lakes Water Authority; Maumee, Perrysburg, and the Northwestern Water and Sewer District are studying the possibility of connecting to Bowling Green’s system; and a cohort of Toledo’s suburbs is analyzing the Michindoh Aquifer.
Lucas County Commissioners in a statement Tuesday said they “remain committed to supporting a regional water system that ensures best management practices through oversight by professionals in the water industry and equalized rates for all members.”
But commissioners also indicated they are waiting to see concrete dollar figures for what their residents’ future rates would be under the new system.
“To date, the Lucas County Commissioners have not received a fully developed proposal from the City of Toledo,” the statement said. “However, we will continue to work with the city administration to finalize a fair deal.”
Contact Sarah Elms at selms@theblade.com, 419-724-6103, or on Twitter @BySarahElms.
First Published August 14, 2018, 9:13 p.m.
