Canal Winchester - August 22nd, 2021

PAGE 16 - MESSENGER - August 22, 2021
www.columbusmessenger.com
Comments sought on proposed water/sewer rate hike
By Linda Dillman
Staff Writer
Aqua Ohio is asking the Public Utilities
Commission of Ohio to consider a water and
sewer rate increase and Madison Township
wants residents to know they have opportunities
to voice their opinion regarding the
request.
According to Madison Township Administrator
Susan Brobst, the PUCO collects
comments on each case it hears and will be
hearing the Aqua Ohio case later this year.
“All calls (texts, email, etc.) are transcribed
and put into the case record,” said
Brobst.
Earlier this year, the township received
notice from Aqua Ohio regarding a request
to increase water and sewer rates. If the request
is approved by the PUCO, it could go
into effect as early as the first quarter of
2022.
According to the Ohio Public Utilities
Commission of Ohio, on Feb. 6, 2019, the
PUCO approved a 3.66 percent system improvement
charge for Aqua Ohio following
a 2018 application.
The company also requested a 3.5 percent
improvement charge for households in
its servicing area in 2020.
Ohio law allows PUCO-regulated water
and wastewater companies to establish a
system improvement charge based upon
capital improvements and infrastructure replacements
it made since its last received
PUCO authority to increase rates.
Residents can send their thoughts, petitions,
letters, and concerns to the PUCO directly
by emailing
ContactThePUCO@puco.ohio.gov and
should always include the case number,
which can be found at
dis.puc.state.oh.us/?fbclid=IwAR20f8rwWB
6skR9m2BZTa_uVURLW68trsUG-ouRs-
Fav_Q3HlYQoo9tMaUeE.
For help with the process, visit
puco.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/puco/help-center/contact-us.
Brobst reported on negotiations by the
Ohio Attorney General regarding the OneOhio
special opioid settlement with three
pharmaceutical companies.
“The amount the township will receive is
unknown,” said Brobst, who added the settlement
is a multi-year option. “Once we receive
more information, we’ll have more
board discussion.
Trustee Michele Reynolds said the township
needs to opt-in to be part of the settlement.
“Attorney General David Yost sued these
companies and the settlement is going back
to the communities,” said Reynolds.
Rental assistance
The Franklin County commissioners
voted to approve contracts worth $2.5 million
with Impact Community Action and the
Community Shelter Board to provide immediate
rental and utility assistance for
Franklin County families that are struggling
in the pandemic economy.
The funding is part of $13 million approved
for Franklin County by Congress at
the end of 2020, and should support nearly
800 individuals or families who have been
hurt by the pandemic and are having trouble
paying their rent or utility bills.
“People all over the country have been
struggling for almost a year, not only with
Get out in front of
the 2021 Election
COVID-19, but with the economic effects of
the pandemic,” said board of commissioners
president, Kevin Boyce. “It feels like we’ve
been dealing with this for a long time, but
the long-term economic effects of this crisis
are just getting started, and it’s vital that
we get assistance into the hands of the people
who need it while their troubles are still
manageable.”
The two partner agencies will administer
the programs separately, but are both expected
to begin taking applications almost
immediately. Eligibility will be based on income
and applicants must be able to demonstrate
that their income level has been
harmed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
START ADVERTISING NOW
Community Advertiser Get The VOTES You NEED!
Dates to Advertise before the Election:
9/5 • 9/19
10/27—Ad with Free Story • 10/31—Ad with Free Story
BEST BUY FOR YOUR
ADVERTISING DOLLARS
Our papers reach over 81,000 households!
200 Word Story
With Your Ad
Call or Email Doug Henry
Phone: (614) 272-5422
Email: doughenry@columbusmessenger.com
The assistance is expected to also aid landlords.
“Residents throughout Franklin County
really need this assistance and we’re working
with trusted community partners to
help our neighbors in need,” said commissioner
Marilyn Brown. “We remain committed
to helping residents stay safe through
this pandemic, and that starts with everyone
having a safe place to call home.”
In addition to the direct support for
renters, Impact Community Action will be
heading a coalition of 16 partner organizations
to take on the eviction crisis in general.
Both Impact Community Action and
the Community Shelter Board are long-time
partners of the board of commissioners.
Their work and previous federal assistance
for rent and utilities helped to keep the
number of evictions in central Ohio at relatively
low levels throughout 2020. Unemployment
remains high, however, and
SNAP food assistance applications and
Medicaid caseloads are up. Without additional
support, many Franklin County families
will be without a roof over their heads,
which has secondary effects such as making
it tougher to keep a job or attend school regularly.
“Franklin County families are struggling,
through no fault of their own, to meet
the basic household needs of rent, food, and
utilities. This immediate dispersal of funds
is meant to help stabilize families in the
short-term so that they will be able to get
themselves back on track for the long-run,”
said commissioner John O’Grady.
The commissioners and their staff will be
working over the next two months to finalize
plans for the rest of this $10.5 million in
federal funding.
To apply for rental or utility assistance
or for more information, residents may visit
Apply.ImpactHopeFund.org or call 614-274-
7000 to reach the Community Shelter
Board.
Mental health assistance
Franklin County has launched a new online
tool to connect residents and families
with national and local resources to address
their mental and emotional health challenges.
The website, FranklinCountyOhio.CredibleMind.com,
allows residents to take a
self-paced approach to learn about more
than 200 different emotional and mental
health topics and find mental health
providers in Franklin County.
“The pandemic and economic downturn
have had a major toll on people’s mental
and emotional well-being,” said Joy Bivens,
deputy franklin county administrator for
health and human services. “This platform
allows us to meet people where they are. It’s
judgement-free, it’s evidence-based and it’s
easy to use — whether you’re just looking for
some mindfulness exercises to cope with
stress or searching for a mental health
provider.”
The website was funded by the board of
commissioners and supports the work of the
Rise Together Blueprint to Reduce Poverty
in Franklin County by increasing access to
mental health services. It was developed in
collaboration with county health and
human services agencies, including the Department
of Job and Family Services (JFS),
and the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health
Board of Franklin County (ADAMH).
“Additional support for well-being is welcomed
right now. Easily accessible, quality
support tools help to bury the stigma
around asking for help. It is up to all of us
to help change the perception that asking
for help is a sign of weakness. Taking care
of our mental health makes us stronger,”
said Erika Clark Jones, CEO for ADAMH.
The website offers more than a dozen different
self-assessments to help visitors get
a better idea of their mental health profile.
After completing the assessment, visitors
are referred to a variety of resources — articles,
videos, podcasts and more — all tailored
based off their results. All the resources are
vetted by experts and all the assessment
tools are confidential.
The site provides direct links to
ADAMH’s network of more than 30 local behavioral
health providers. Residents can
also get information about obtaining Medicaid,
which covers mental health and addiction
treatment, through JFS as well as
resources from other health and human
services agencies like Office on Aging, Child
Support Enforcement and Justice Policy
and Programs.
Visit FranklinCountyOhio.Credible-
Mind.com to learn more.