Norwich opposes water rate increase

Norwich Township is banding together with other central Ohio townships to fight a water rate increase proposal that township officials are calling unreasonable.

Norwich is one of seven townships in central Ohio that receives some water service from Ohio American Water (OAW). In June, OAW filed a request with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) to increase rates for all of its residential customers in Ohio by 63.29 percent over a four-year period. The proposed rate increases are as follows: 27.36 percent increase in April 2010, 23.34 percent increase in April 2011, 6.86 percent increase in April 2012, and a 5.73 percent increase in 2013.

About 280 homes in Norwich Township's Timberbrook neighborhood would be affected by the increase, according to township administrator Wayne Warner.

"The OAW increase proposal affects about 8,000 in Franklin County," Warner said. "We were at a meeting last week of the affected townships, we're all getting together to try to stop this rate increase."

Representatives of Norwich, Prairie, Blendon, Madison and Truro townships gathered two weeks ago to discuss the increase proposal that would affect all of them. Prairie Township trustee Steve Kennedy said Perry Township officials have already sent in a resolution opposing the increase, and that he believes representatives of Sharon Township will follow suit.

"We met on what course of action we were going to take," Kennedy said. "We're going to try to educate everybody on what's going on and get as much publicity as possible. We plan on passing a resolution at the (Sept. 9 Prairie Township trustee meeting) for funding to hire a public relations company and start off a grass-roots education campaign."

The rate increase is needed to recover investments in recent years, according to OAW spokeswoman Mary Beth Johnson. That includes more than $1.7-million for pipes, pumps and other improvements in its Franklin County systems and more than $17-million statewide since July 2007.

Norwich Township officials have drafted a resolution formally opposing the rate increase. Trustees were expected to vote on it on Tuesday, Sept. 8.

"The request by OAW is their third rate increase request in four years and, if granted, will result in an approximate increase of 240% in water rates since 1999 to these township residents," the resolution states. "Township residents receiving OAW water service already pay a substantially higher and unfair rate for such service when compared with both other Township residents and residents of surrounding jurisdictions that receive such service from other utility providers the Board of Trustees believes it is in the best interests of the Township and its residents to oppose the proposed OAW water rate increased filed with the PUCO and to further urge the Commissioners of the PUCO to reject OAW's proposed rate increase."

"I know we're going to try to do all we can to help the residents with this," said Norwich trustee Chuck Buck.

Kennedy said organizers of the grass roots education campaign will go door-to-door if necessary.

"We are also going to have another meeting, and we're branching this out across the state," he said. "28 other townships are affected as well as other cities, mainly around Marion. Our goal is get every affected entity to send in their opposition to PUCO."

Kennedy said that if the price of water continues to rise in the townships, residents will have some hard decisions in front of them.

"If we chose to do nothing, this is going to devastate our townships," he said. "This rate increase, at this time, has the potential to make ghost towns out of these places, for something as common as water."

Kennedy said in the next week the townships will have a Web site up, www.ohiofightthehike. com, with more information on the case. Links to information regarding the rate increase request can currently be found at www.prairietownship.org.