January 29, 2002
Increase in rates will accompany sewer project
By Jefferson Wolfe
Staff Writer
jwolfe@advertiser-tribune.com
Two ordinances should be ready for next Monday's City Council meeting regarding the city's sewer project.
One of the ordinances raises the sewer rates by 25 percent. The other gives Miami Street residents credit toward the increased rate in the amount of their assessment when the Miami Street sewer project was done.
The ordinances and funding were discussed Monday night at a meeting of Tiffin City Council's committee of the whole.
The increase in the sewer rate will not pay for the project, but it will help as a downpayment to get the project started, said Jim Boroff, Fourth Ward councilman. If the increase was 35 percent, it could fund the whole project, he said.
The lower rate is acceptable because the city may be able to find funding through grants from other sources. Also, as each part of the project is completed, the next may become less costly, Boroff said.
Miami Street residents would be grandfathered because that project can be considered an early part of the current sewer renovation, he said.
At-Large Councilman Pete Galipeau said he does not support the rate increase because he thinks at least some of the money could be found in some of the city's other funds.
"I think we didn't work hard enough as a council to re-prioritize all the money we get from the citizens to do what we have to get done," he said.
The committee also discussed changes to council proceedings, but took no action.
Before the committee of the whole meeting, the council had a special meeting and passed an resolution reimbursing Mayor Bernie Hohman for any expenses incurred while acting on behalf of the city in connection with a state bill about annexation.
Hohman was listed with others as a committee member of an organization opposed to an annexation bill in the Ohio General Assembly. He was named as an individual, not in his capacity as mayor.
The city's insurance carrier would not cover any costs of a judgment against Hohman because it stated he was not acting as mayor, Law Director Brent Howard said.
Howard is going to use the resolution &emdash;and others passed by council in opposition to the annexation bill &emdash; to try to show that Hohman was acting as mayor.
Only Galipeau voted against the resolution, saying it was too open-ended.
The council also passed two ordinances pertaining to funding for sewer improvements and heard second reading on a third.