Residents and advocacy groups on Oct. 30 urged Hamilton County commissioners to press the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) to adopt an impervious-surface fee and to reduce the residential billed consumption factor from 3 CCF to 2 CCF — changes they said would make sewer rates fairer and incentivize stormwater management.

Sue Bills of CUFA delivered a letter with specific requests she said MSD could implement in 2026, including changes to billing practices and expansion of relief for renters and households experiencing hardship. Florence Miller (CUFA) said lower CCF billing and an equitable impervious-surface fee would reduce overcharging for homeowners who do not receive the same discount as large commercial impervious-surface owners. "We need to incentivize stormwater management through an impervious surface fee that is fair and equitable," Miller said.

Marie Kokosius, representing the Miami Group Sierra Club, referenced prior affordability task-force work and said regional utilities with many billing entities have implemented impervious-surface fees successfully. David Behrens (Kennedy Heights) described localized flooding on a steep wooded hillside and said the impervious-surface approach is a nationwide standard for equitable stormwater rates.

County Administrator Jeff Aludo told the board the county all-funds budget would be released soon and that the MSD 2026 budget release was delayed to account for federal Phase 2b approvals tied to the consent decree; MSD's budget would follow shortly with hearings planned over the next two months. Commissioners agreed to provide at least two weeks' notice for budget hearings and scheduled a county evening budget hearing on Dec. 9 to improve public participation.

Advocates asked commissioners to endorse state bills and to press MSD for timely public disclosure of the 2026 budget and to adopt reforms that shift stormwater costs toward large impervious-area owners and away from single-family homeowners. County staff and commissioners committed to giving public notice for upcoming hearings and to ensuring evening meeting options so working residents can participate.