Cleveland Heights Water Service Fees To Increase To $10 Per Month

Acting City Manager Susanna Niermann O’Neil announced that Cleveland Heights water service fees were increasing from $4 per month to $10 per month at the regular meeting Monday night.

The revised fee will be effective in June, O’Neil said, and will appear on July bills.

She said water service fees have not changed since they were introduced in December 2005, but the city is forced to charge more due to the decline in revenue as the number of vacant homes has increased in Cleveland Heights.

“It is not easy to raise fees, but this is the responsible thing to do at this time in order to provide the kind of service from our water department that our community deserves,” O’Neil said.

According to , more than 11 percent of housing units in Cleveland Heights were vacant at the time of the survey.

Those who fall under the homestead exemption rate — residents with disabilities and low-income seniors (over the age of 65) — will not be charged, as has been the practice since 2005.

O'Neil said this was necessary in order to provide the kind of prompt customer service that residents "deserve and expect."

Council did not vote as the "water service rate is determined administratively and does not require legislation," she said.

Look for more highlights from the Cleveland Heights City Council meeting Tuesday.