FLUSHING — Village Council voted to raise water and sewer rates by $1 each per month as permitted by an ordinance passed several years ago.

As the matter was debated at the first meeting of 2025, council President Chuck Nucci asked if the action had to be taken during the January meeting, saying he would like to see some analysis as to what the village is bringing in versus what it is paying out before raising the rates.

“Things are bad enough for people,” he said.

Fiscal Officer Jeryl McGaffick said the ability to make yearly increases had been put in place so that large, sudden increases would not be necessary after the village was forced to do a $14 monthly increase early in her tenure as fiscal officer.

“The county raises their rates every year on us, and the sewer system expenses go up along with everything else,” McGaffick said.

Mayor Preston Eberhart pointed out that there had been a number of years in which council chose to waive either one or both of the increases.

After some further discussion that included the fact that there were still a number of water customers with outstanding balances, Nucci said, “If we’re going to sit here and raise (the rates) then we have to do a better job in this building about collecting on people’s water bills. We’re going to penalize the people who pay while the people who don’t pay don’t care if we raise it anyway.”

McGaffick insisted that everybody eventually pays, while Councilman Dave Coe pointed out that a lot of the outstanding balances on the books are due to technical issues with the meter reading laptop over the summer.

Council eventually voted unanimously in favor of raising both water and sewer rates by $1 each per month.

According to a Facebook post by village officials, the 2024 base rate for water and sewer combined was $74 per month within the village and $43 monthly for out of town water. For that amount, customers received 3,500 gallons per month. With an additional $1 for water and $1 for sewer, the base rate would become $76 per month.

Previous rate increases have taken effect the month after they were approved, so residents should expect to see the increase on the bill for February meter readings.

Meanwhile, village officials again heard complaints about a shed that was recently placed on a Markatan Street property during the first council meeting of 2025.

Former mayor and councilman John Jozwiak addressed council during the Jan. 9 meeting, following up on concerns he had raised in November about a building that was described as a “pre-built barn.” Jozwiak said electricity had been run to the structure recently and that he didn’t understand how that was allowed, again insisting that an ordinance passed while he was on council should prohibit structures being placed in the village without a foundation or basement.

Jozwiak said there were other residents in that neighborhood who shared his concerns. He asked for copies of the ordinance passed while he was on council as well as the updated ordinance that had been mentioned during his previous visit.

Eberhart told Jozwiak that Village Solicitor Gary Smith had told him that he did not feel the placement of building violated the previous ordinance and that even if they had the new ordinance in place, the property owner would be “grandfathered in” and not have to adhere to the updated policy.

Nucci added that Smith had told him the language of the old ordinance was vague, making it “unenforceable,” and that council had since voted to strike that ordinance from the books while the new one was being developed.

“According to Gary, you can’t tell a person what they can and cannot do with their property,” Nucci said, adding that council had concluded the village had bigger problems with dilapidated structures and unkempt properties than with mobile homes or campers.

Jozwiak said he still wanted copies of the ordinances so that he and the others who think the building is in violation can consult their own counsel about the matter.

Nucci said he agreed with Jozwiak about the building and that he did not understand how American Electric Power inspected and approved turning on electricity to a shed that did not have a fuse box.

McGaffick said the property owner had called Belmont County officials about his plans for the property before telling her and Village Administrator Kris Chini that he would be placing a cabin on a foundation there.

Meanwhile, council’s yearly reorganizational meeting saw Nucci tapped to reprise his role as president pro tem of council. Council also agreed to pay $15 per hour for “alternate office coverage” on occasions when McGaffick was unable to be there.

Eberhart said he would assign council members to committees after the seat previously held by Tom Bober was filled. Bober announced he would resign at the end of 2024 during the December meeting due to his position on council interfering with medical reimbursements from the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System.

Council also approved a $2,500 limit for Village Administrator Chini to make purchases without council’s approval.

In other business, council approved the village’s contract with the Flushing Fire and EMS Departments with corrections that had been requested last year by Nucci to reflect the actual payment schedule and approved annual budget appropriations.

Eberhart said the village needs technical assistance in order to get the digital clock in front of the village offices to work correctly.

Flushing Village Council meets at 6 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month in the village offices on High Street.