For the last 4 years, I have directly called on 3
different City Managers to begin a discussion with Cleveland Water on a
framework for regionalizing the Cleveland Heights water system. I believed then,
as is now an established fact, the Cleveland Heights water system is
unsustainable and the status quo is not an option any longer. Unfortunately, the majority of Council, at
those times in the past, did not agree with my call to initiate those
discussions with Cleveland Water. With
that said, hindsight is 20/20. Now, with a mounting debt from the massive loss
of water in the pipes (water that never reaches residents or businesses) the
Council must make a decision on the future of the City’s water lines. It is
clear that the City will be unable to maintain control of the water system as
the cost is too great and has reached the point that the debt incurred from the
water system is greater than the City’s reserves. Of course, this is something
that can not wait another year.
I have continued and will continue to speak out in favor of
regionalizing our water system with Cleveland Water. As I have repeated over
the last 4 years;
1.
Almost every other municipality in Cuyahoga
County is directly serviced by Cleveland Water. The ONLY municipalities not
currently directly served by Cleveland Water are Bedford, Chagrin Falls,
Lakewood and of course Cleveland Heights.
2.
Cleveland Heights is a “master meter City” (as
are Bedford, Chargin Falls and Lakewood). This means that water is sent from
Cleveland to Cleveland Heights for a set price (which is only slightly lower
than what residence throughout Cuyahoga County pay for their water). Cleveland
Heights then charges a premium above that price that the residents pay whenever
they turn on their faucets. This “mark up” makes water usage more expensive in
a “master meter” community such as Cleveland Heights than our neighbors that
are directly served by Cleveland Water. I have always considered this an
unnecessary and uninviting expense of living and doing business in Cleveland
Heights.
3.
Regionalizing our water department will eventually
lead to a leveling off of our residential and commercial water rates. Once
Cleveland Water completes the necessary $10 million necessary investment into
the system and has been reimbursed through higher rates, then a freeze period
of the rates would ensue. This rate
freeze would be in effect over a period of time until the Cleveland Water rate
eventually matches the Cleveland Heights rate. I am under the impression that
this would take 4-7 years. The end result would be a lower rate for our residents and businesses from the “mark ups” our
City currently charges or whatever “mark up” a for-profit company would charge
if they were the biller.
4.
The City has been diligent in its efforts to
keep spending in line with realistic budgetary forecasts. Difficult decisions
have been made, hiring has been frozen in many departments, the workforce has been reduced
via attrition and City employees and staff are doing more with much less. The
one overarching concern that has literally “blown a hole” in the otherwise
responsible and successful budget, is the Water Department’s average $1.2 - $2 million of yearly losses.
This is a complicated issue, as every story has two sides.
The City Administration and Council as a whole has made decisions based on the
best information and guidance from professionals that we had at that time. Unfortunately,
important information, such as the degree of disrepair the city’s underground
water pipes are currently in, was unknown and the recommendations of staff,
were at times, woefully off due to that same lack of knowledge as to the true
causes of the Water systems insolvency.
For me however, I campaigned on supporting a Regional
approach to maintain quality of City services while being more efficient. Over
the last 4 years of my time on Council, I have been a proponent of
regionalizing our Water Department and Sewer System, Police & Fire
Dispatch, CHPD SWAT Team, joining the E.D.G.E. communities and joining the
Shaker & University Heights Fire Department merger study, amongst others. I
believe that due to shrinking City budgets and a smaller population than 50
years ago, the status quo can not and should not be continued. It is becoming
more burdensome every year. For me, regionalism is neither scary nor bold change.
To me, regionalism is simply, the responsible way to ensure a better and
brighter future for Cleveland Heights.
Becoming a Direct Service community will save the average Cleveland
Heights residential customer $114.00 yearly during the “transition period” and
will then save $331.00 yearly for the post “transition period”. The $114.00 a year savings in our water bill
is significant and will benefit seniors, those on a fixed income
and everyone that pays a water bill in Cleveland Heights. 
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