The city’s Sanitary Sewer Utility consists of Oakwood’s own local sewer personnel and city sewer infrastructure, as well as outside services and infrastructure which is contracted with the city of Dayton and Montgomery County. About 25% of the Sanitary Sewer Utility rate that Oakwood charges residents covers in-house personnel and infrastructure costs, and 75% is the cost of contracting sewer and wastewater treatment services from Dayton and Montgomery County.

In the last eight years, Oakwood has absorbed five increases in the Dayton rate and three increases in Montgomery County’s rate, without increasing the rate charged to residents. On average, each Dayton increase was over 4%, and each Montgomery County increase was over 3%. The Montgomery County rate is scheduled to increase an additional 14% in 2018.

Oakwood last raised Oakwood sewer rates in 2009 and cannot sustain further increases in these outside costs without an adjustment to the rate. This ordinance will adjust the Oakwood rate schedule by eliminating the minimum use credit, eliminating the second tier consumption rate, and increasing the standard consumption rate. For typical household water usage of 1,000 cubic feet per month, these changes will result in an increase of $12.77 per month on a property owner’s combined city utility bill, and will first appear on the bills for January 2018.

Thereupon, it was moved by Mr. Epley and seconded by Mr. Stephens that the ordinance be passed.

Upon call of the roll on the question of the motion, the following vote was recorded:

There being five (5) yea votes and no (0) nay votes thereon, said ordinance was declared duly passed and it was so ordered.

A copy of the ordinance, having been placed on the desks of each member of Council prior to introduction, was read by title.

Vice Mayor Byington explained that this is a housekeeping ordinance to update part of the city’s Administrative Code. Section 147.04 is the section that governs the city’s financial deposits. When the city deposits public funds in the bank, the state Uniform Depository Act, which is mirrored in the Oakwood local ordinance, requires the city to use a bank that qualifies as a “public depository.” Among other things, that means that the bank must collateralize Oakwood deposits with pledged securities.

Oakwood local ordinance references the collateralization procedures described in Ohio Revised Code Sections 135.18 and 135.181. But the state recently adopted an additional section, 135.182, which creates a pooled collateral program to be operated by the State Treasurer, and under pressure from the State of Ohio, all of the local banks with which Oakwood does business are moving to this new program.

This ordinance will amend the local ordinance to match state law, allowing Oakwood to use banks that collateralize the deposits through the state’s pooled collateral program. It is being introduced as an emergency measure because updated depository agreements need to be signed and implemented by the end of the year to ensure continuity in banking relationships.

Thereupon, it was moved by Vice Mayor Byington and seconded by Mrs. Hilton that the ordinance be passed as an emergency measure, with no second reading required.

Upon call of the roll on the question of the motion, the following vote was recorded: