Village of West Milton city council approves increase in water, sewer rates

WEST MILTON — Residents in the Village of West Milton will see an increase in its water rate by 20 percent and sewer rate by 10 percent starting Sept. 1 after city council members approved the move.

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Village leaders say water lines are leaking because they are so old including the water main on Main Street which is more than 50 years old.

The estimated cost to replace them is $1 million and folks were quite vocal about it.

“It just keeps going up,” Doug Dafoe of West Milton said.

“Most of us are on fixed income,” Mike Kraft of West Milton said. “How we going to pay for this?”

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The Village said one household uses 4,000 gallons of water a month and the average water bill is $52 and the average sewer bill is $39.

Council members say this is the only way to improve the village’s infrastructure.

“We don’t know what else to do,” Sarah Copp said. “So what do you suggest?”

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Jeff Sheridan, West Milton Village Manager, told News Center 7′s Haley Kosik that the rate increases will give the village $260,000 over the next three years for water and sewer repairs.

“It’s very expensive when we lose water,” he said. “It’s going to take time but we’re going to invest the proceeds from each of the increases in replacing water lines and then lining sanitary sewer lines.”

Sheridan said no one likes the decision but it is necessary.

“The alternative is to allow the infrastructure to continue to degrade and then it’s a lot more expensive to fix it once it breaks then replace while it’s still functioning.”

Sheridan told Kosik the next big issue is the water treatment plant. He says it’s being studied but the results won’t be finished for another three years. If they have to build a new plant, it would cost the village of West Milton roughly $5 million.

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