Dublin City Council will review a new water and sewer rate study Sept. 15, the first update to the city's utility pricing in five years.

The 6 p.m. work session at 5555 Perimeter Drive is devoted entirely to the proposed 2027–2031 Water and Sanitary Sewer Utility Capital Improvements Program, the 2027 operating budget for utilities and a rate study listed in the city's agenda packet. The session is labeled "Work Session III – Utilities" in the city's budget calendar.

CFO Matt Rubino told the Finance Committee in March that the previous study was half a decade old and that a new one would launch that spring. "The last rate study was completed five years ago, and a new study will begin in spring 2026 with recommendations coming to Council in early fall," Rubino said at the March 18 meeting.

City Engineer Paul Hammersmith said at the same meeting that four-to-five-year gaps between studies are common but that longer delays can force steeper rate increases.

The specific rate changes the study recommends have not been made public. The agenda packet lists the study documents but does not include their full text online.

What's at stake

Dublin's water and sewer system carries $18.3 million in outstanding sewer debt and just under $5 million in water debt, according to figures presented at the March 18 Finance Committee meeting. The combined 2026 operating budget for both utilities is $7.5 million.

Two of the largest sewer projects in the current capital plan remain significantly unfunded: the Glick Road Sanitary Relief Sewer at $7.9 million and the Avery Road Sanitary Pump Station at $3.9 million. The agenda packet also names relief sewer projects on Muirfield Drive, South Riverview Street, Brand Road and Post Road.

Utilities account for roughly 13 percent of the city's proposed $425 million, five-year capital plan, according to Aug. 17 work session minutes. Staff at the March Finance Committee meeting said the city was considering a shift to multi-year rate approvals covering two to three years at a time, rather than annual adjustments.

The city also owes $3.4 million per year in principal payments on a $15.1 million internal loan drawn from water and sewer reserves to fund the SportsOhio land acquisition. Five years of payments remain.

What comes next

Tuesday's session is a work session, meaning Council will discuss but not vote. The next step in the budget calendar is an operating budget work session Sept. 21, followed by a first reading of budget ordinances Oct. 12 and adoption Oct. 28.

The session is open to the public. Residents can contact Legislative Services at 614-410-4442.