MASON - A city councilman says he will propose tonight that council change Mason's sewer rate structure to give relief to residents who've been paying up to $400 a month.

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• What: Mason City Council meeting   • When: 7 tonight   • Where: 202 W. Main St., Mason

        The problem, Tom Grossmann said, is that homeowners are paying sewer fees based on their total water usage, even though water sprinkled on lawns and flower beds goes into the ground or nearby streams, not to the treatment plant.

        “We're charging people for something they don't use,” Mr. Grossmann said. “That to me is not fair.”

        Daniel Zappone, a General Electric retiree, has seen his monthly fee more than double, from $17 in the winter to more than $40 since he has been watering the small front yard of his home this summer.

        “I don't use the sewer any more in the summer than I do in the winter, but I'm paying more,” Mr. Zappone said.

        The increase has been more noticeable this year than his previous two summers there, he said, because the dry weather has prompted him to water the yard more.

        And Mr. Zappone's sewer bill is modest compared to some others', according to Mr. Grossmann, who has received dozens of complaints about sewer bills this year.

        The first-term councilman has been seeking for several months to change the fee structure so residents' summer sewer bills are based on their winter water usage. City staff have said that could create a demand for water that exceeds the supply, but figures for the past six months suggest supply isn't a big problem, Mr. Grossmann said.

        In the southern half of Mason, which gets its water from Cincinnati Water Works, the capacity is 5 million gallons per day, while from March through August the maximum usage was 2.8 mgd and the average was 1.64 mgd, Mr. Grossmann said. In the northern half, which gets its water from the Shaker Aquifer, the capacity is more than 6 mgd, he said, although filter problems have reduced that to about 5 mgd or 5.5 mgd. The maximum usage this summer was 5.24 mgd one day in August, he said, and the average was 2.36 mgd.

        However, a new water tower going into service by next month will enable the city to move 25 percent of its north side customers to the south service area, Mr. Grossmann said.

        In addition to asking City Council to change the fee structure, he said, he may also seek refunds for those who paid high sewer bills this summer.

        City Manager Scot Lahrmer could not be reached for comment.

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