Your sewer bill is already increasing at 9 percent a year. It would likely go up 13 percent a year from 2012-2016, with lesser increases after that.
The money would go to pay for about $3 billion in tunnels and projects to avoid dumping sewage in Lake Erie.
The sewer district is allegedly in violation of the 1972 Clean Water Act and has been for some time.
The average sewer bill would go up to more than $140 a month over the next 25 years. It's now almost $40 per month.
Details of the agreement are on the NEORSD website.
NEORSD board member Gary Starr, the longest-serving board member, wants to delay the increase for a year to give families, businesses and governments time to review it.
He calls it an unvoted tax increase and is trying to rally opponents to his cause.
He also wants to discuss the possible strategy of fighting this in court.
George Forbes says the NAACP is preparing to try to block the deal from being approved. Forbes says the rate increase is to steep for may families to afford.
He says the group is already joining a lawsuit by the Catholic Church challenging proposed rate increases to deal with stormwater problems.
Doug Price, the CEO of the K & D group, is attempting to rally businessmen and other officeholders against this.
He claims the lack of publicity about this and speed with which the proposal's moving to be ratified are "the same kind of thing we've been reading about in the paper," an apparent reference to corruption and problems in Cuyahoga County government.
Price wrote Mayor Frank Jackson and other officials, complaining this would further harm the region's economy. The City of Cleveland appoints three District board members.
Price's firm owns about 48 buildings with 12,000 apartments. He plans to write residents and tell them to write or call officials about this proposed rent-raising deal.
District Board Chairman Darnell Brown asks, "What is their solution to this problem?"
The entire region is being asked to pay for decades of lawbreaking pollution.
There are two more public hearings on this next week, one in Cleveland and one in Parma.
Sewer District Executive Director Julius Ciaccia claims that fighting it would likely result in huge fines, an expensive court fight, and a more costly outcome.
There were projections that rates would go up 18 percent a year. Ciaccia has lowered that estimate, claiming the district drove the best bargain it could.
The settlement will likely be discussed at the board meeting next week and could be voted on in December.
Ciaccia and Starr debate whether the plan should be accepted now or delayed Sunday morning on Between the Lines.
WKYC-TV