Hiram council approves water and sewer rate increases

Hiram, Ohio — The Hiram Village Council voted unanimously on Nov. 18 to raise water and sewer user rates, approving amendments to Codified Ordinance Sections 929.01 and 929.02 after clarifying the percentage changes.

Councilmember Juan Fernandez moved to correct the water ordinance language to reflect a 4% increase and Councilmember Chris Szell seconded; the amendment carried 6-0. Szell then moved to pass Ordinance 2025-30 as amended; Fernandez seconded and the ordinance passed 6-0. On sewer rates, Fernandez moved to amend Section (c) to the correct 6% amount, seconded by Councilmember Suzann Bennett; the amendment and the final approval of Ordinance 2025-31 both passed 6-0.

The measures were presented during the ordinances section of the meeting as third readings. Fiscal Officer McKenna Miller answered council questions about village accounts earlier in the evening; council members framed the rate adjustments as technical corrections to the ordinance language and approved them without further amendment to rates beyond the corrected percentage figures.

Council members who moved or seconded the amendments and final motions were recorded in the meeting minutes as Fernandez (mover of the corrections) and Szell or Bennett (seconders and final motioners). No public speakers opposed the amendments during the meeting.

Next steps: The ordinances were approved as amended in this session and will be codified into the village ordinance code; any effective dates or implementation details specified by the ordinances were not part of the meeting minutes and are therefore not specified in this report.