Controversial Chillicothe water bill to be voted on tonight

Tonight, at 7pm , the city of Chillicothe city council will voting on what many consider to be a controversial water bill.

When asked, several local landlords say that the proposed changes will provide incentive for people to skip out on unpaid water charges which then will only be paid for by raising the rent on all of their tenants, both people who regularly pay the water bill and those who do not. Landlords this will be extremely negative on their tenants who rely on a fixed income to pay for their utility bills, producing additional hardship with regards to water bills even though they currently are paying on-time. Landlords also believe that this will also apply to most tenants who are currently receiving government subsidy programs like section 8, as rent will also have to cover the cost of water in all the payments, potentially removing some people from the program due to increased costs.

The aspect of the water bill that is of such concern is the premise that tenants should not be allowed to carry water service in their name. That only a landlord, someone who owns the property, should have the water bill in their name. The city for the most part is finding it hard to collect unpaid water fines by individuals who missed payments and then move out of this city.

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If this bill is of concern to you, and you would like to contact your local councilperson to provide feedback or thoughts on this situation, you are recommended to contact your local councilperson under the following list.