BG business unhappy with wastewater fee increase

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A Bowling Green business owner said his firm has essentially stopped doing business with the city’s
wastewater treatment plant because of a 55-percent rate increase imposed Feb. 1
Tom Kurfis, of CWS Environmental in Bellard Business Park, told BG’s Board of Public Utilities Monday the
rate increase "impedes my business" by having to increase rates or hauling to another
wastewater plant. "We now go to the city of Perrysburg. If you wanted to shut the door to us, why
didn’t you just say it. This is not practical for us," he said.
Kurfis said the firm moved to BG 12 years ago because of the Ohio EPA office in BG and the city’s
facilities.
Director of Utilities Brian O’Connell said a 4.2 cent per gallon charge for septage had been in place
since 2008 and was upped to 6.5 cents per gallon. "The cost of treatment is about 10 cents per
gallon," O’Connell said.
The increase was approved in late 2013 as part of the 2014 utility budget. O’Connell said the new rate
was based on a city study that found the average rate at area plants was 6.5 cents per gallon. He said
Perrysburg was charging 4.5 cents per gallon.
Because of concerns expressed by some haulers, the BPU during its Feb. 10 meeting added an option to
charge based on weight to its new policy of only charging on a full tank basis. The weight option
requires haulers to visit a scales and obtain a weigh ticket, that the city then would use for billing.
Scales are available at grain elevators or the Wood County Landfill.
Previously the city has accepted a "ticket" indicating the gallonage in the truck from the
driver delivering the load. The change was seen as a way to verify the amount being dumped at the plant.
The budget indicated the new rate would raise about $100,000 annually.
Kurfis said the weigh ticket was impractical, especially in the grain season when drivers would have to
wait in line.
"Almost 50 percent of the customers are from outside Wood County," Superintendent Doug Clark
said. He also implied that some drivers might have not been submitting accurate tickets.
"I’d like to see those tickets," said Matt Ross of CWS. "I have never seen a driver do
this." Kurfis said if a driver was fudging a ticket they would be reprimanded.
Ross said since February the firm has taken 30 loads to Perrysburg and two loads to Bowling Green. Ross
wondered why the city didn’t phase-in the increase. Ross also expressed disappointment that the issue
was not on Monday night’s agenda. "You should have been prepared. You knew we would be
coming." The company representatives raised the issue during the lobby visitation portion of the
meeting.
Sue Clark, executive director of the Bowling Green Community Development Foundation, confirmed Tuesday
that she had informed both O’Connell and BPU Chairperson Bill Culbertson that CWS officials would be
raising the issue. The BPU had not met since Feb. 10.
Tuesday morning O’Connell said there may be some additional internal discussion of the but any further
action will be up to the board.
The board also:
• Accepted utility easements for 999 S. Main St. that will allow Tire Man to rebuild. The building that
was on the site was on top of long-standing utility easements.
• Approved updated water meter and tap fees, updates to water and sewer policies and roof improvements on
several utility buildings. The estimated cost is $279,000.

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