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Athens City Council has approved an increase to sewer rates

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Athens, OHIO (WOUB) – Athens residents and businesses will see an increase in their sewer rates starting next year.

The Athens City Council unanimously passed an ordinance that would raise sewer rates by 3% beginning in January. 

With this change, the residential rate will increase from $6 to $6.18 per 1,000 gallons.

Commercial and industrial buildings will see a slightly higher increase. Commercial rates will increase from $6.79 to $6.99 per 1,000 gallons.

Rates for industrial buildings will increase from $7.49 to $7.71 per 1,000 gallons. 

One lane of West Union Street in Athens is closed to traffic while work is done laying new drain, water and sewer lines.
One lane of West Union Street in Athens closed to traffic while work is done laying new drain, water and sewer lines. [Haley Swaino | WOUB]
Customers will also see an increase in their monthly base rate, which is a fixed amount that doesn’t vary with consumption. 

At a previous meeting, Councilmember Alan Swank presented a chart comparing the sewage and water rates with other cities in Ohio.  

“The average citizen using 4,000 gallons of water, which is pretty much average in the state of Ohio, was $43.83 in 2024. Looking at my own sewer and water bill, for several months, we had 4,000 [gallons], and it was $49.34. So, you can see, Athens’ sewer rates were about 13% higher than the average.” 

However, when comparing the water rates, Swank found that Athens was lower than the average in Ohio. 

“When you take the two and add them together, the average rate for someone using 4,000 gallons of water in the city of Athens is $81.36; a full $5.00 per month less than the average in the state of Ohio.” 

Mayor Steve Patterson said revenue from the rate increases will be put toward projects such as replacing the aging infrastructure on West Union Street.