LISBON — Village water customers should brace for another rate increase, and sewer customers may be next.

The village board of public affairs voted at Tuesday’s meeting to begin the process of enacting an increase that would take effect Nov. 1. It will be at minimum equal to the water rate increase approved in February, when the rates went from $5.69 per 100 cubic feet of water to $9.87 for the first 200 cubic feet, with the fee returning to $5.69 after that.

The February increase was expected to raise the cost for an average household of four from $76 per two-month billing cycle to $84.37, or $50 a year.

BPA chairman Bill Hoover said the next increase will likely be higher because they are trying to get the rate to where it would make the village eligible for financial assistance to help fund badly needed major system upgrades.

Rural Community Assistance Partnership, a non-profit agency that helps local governments assess its water system needs, determined Lisbon’s rates need to get to 1.7 percent of the village’s median household income to qualify for state grants or other financial assistance.

With the February increase, the village rate is currently at 1.2 percent of the median household income. Hoover said the goal of the next increase is to get Lisbon’s rates to 1.7 percent, which is why it may need to be higher than the February increase. Utilities director Chris Peterson is to determine exactly how much of a rate increase is needed and report back at the BPA’s Sept. 22 meeting.

The February increase was in addition to a 3 percent water rate hike that took effect Jan. 1, which was the last of five such annual increases. But the 3 percent rate hikes failed to keep pace with increased operating costs, and the water department is spending $45,000 more annually than it is taking in.

The February rate increase was expected to generate an additional $60,000 a year, but officials say they may have overestimated.

Hoover said the village needs to get into a financial position where it can undertake major upgrades, including a new water storage tank, and they cannot do that without qualifying for state grants.

“No one on this board wants to raise rates. I’m on a fixed income, too,” said Hoover, who is retired. Even with the rate increases, he believes Lisbon would still be in the middle in terms of what other Columbiana County communities charge.

“Everyone’s rates have gone up. We’re not alone,” Hoover added.

Even with the increases, he said they are still cheaper than the Buckeye Water District, and if they did nothing the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency could force them to raise rates.

The BPA was not going to raise rates again until early 2021, but Hoover said they cannot wait until then. The water department has spent $12,000 this past month alone repairing eight major leaks, three of which occurred the week of Aug. 31. He said they are also facing other significant expenses as they continue to replace broken or outdated equipment.

While the BPA sets water rates, village council is in charge of sewer rates. Village fiscal officer Tracey Wonner said council might want to consider raising sewer rates for the same reason as water rates — to put Lisbon in position to qualify for financial assistance.

Council passed legislation several years back raising sewer rates by 3 percent annually over five years, and the last of those increases has taken effect.

In other action, the BPA hired Heidi Grimm to replace utilities clerk Hazel White, who is retiring early next year. Hoover said Grimm was clearly the best qualified and most experienced of the five people they interviewed. Grimm was circulation director at the Morning Journal for years but most recently worked for a trucking company in North Lima.

tgiambron@mojonews.com