Explanation
1. BACKGROUND
This ordinance authorizes the Director of Public Utilities to apply for loans through the Water Pollution Control Loan Fund (WPCLF) in calendar year 2026, to execute paperwork required to enter into WPCLF loans that are offered and accepted, and to designate a dedicated source of repayment for the loans.
The Ohio EPA requires this ordinance which authorizes the Director of Public Utilities to apply for and execute WPCLF loan agreements in 2026 for Sanitary, Stormwater, and Treatment Engineering Capital Improvement Projects as identified in Section 1 of this ordinance, under the direction of the Division of Water Reclamation (DWR). This loan program is jointly administered by the Ohio EPA's Division of Environmental and Financial Assistance and the Ohio Water Development Authority (OWDA). The WPCLF Loan Fund program provides below-market interest rate loans for municipal wastewater and stormwater system improvements.
In September of 2025 the Division of Water Reclamation submitted nominations to the Ohio EPA for construction projects anticipated to be contracted in 2026 that are eligible for WPCLF funding. Applications for loans for these construction projects will be submitted after bids are received. Design, right-of-way, equipment, construction inspection/administration, and other types of contracts eligible for WPCLF loans are typically submitted for nomination as they are being bid or prepared for procurement, with the loan application submitted after pricing is determined.
The Department of Public Utilities anticipates applying for loan funding for the projects listed in Section 1 of this ordinance. However, it may become necessary to add or subtract from this list of projects depending upon project schedule adjustments, departmental need, or the loan agency deciding a project is not eligible for funding. The dollar amount of each loan will be based upon bids received, or after professional service contract pricing has been negotiated as part of the City's Request for Proposal process.
2. FISCAL IMPACT
There is no cost to apply for the loans. There is sufficient budget authority in the 2026 Sewer Systems and Stormwater Operating Funds for the loan fee expenditures. Loans will be paid off over a 20-year period from Sewerage System and Stormwater rates (dedicated sources of repayment). Sewerage System and Stormwater rate increases have been projected and planned in anticipation of these projects and loans. The loan for each project and the payment of loan fees are legislated separately from this ordinance.
Title
To authorize the Director of Public Utilities to apply for, accept, and enter into Ohio Water Pollution Control Loan Fund Loan Agreements with the Ohio Water Development Authority and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for the financing of Public Utilities capital improvements; and to designate a dedicated source of repayment for the loans. ($0.00)
Body
WHEREAS, in September of 2025 the Department of Public Utilities, Division of Water Reclamation, submitted nominations to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) for construction projects that are eligible for loan funding through the OEPA’s Water Pollution Control Loan Fund (WPCLF); and
WHEREAS, non-construction loans eligible for loan funding through the WPCLF program will be nominated on an as-needed basis prior to the conclusion of the contracting process; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Public Utilities is scheduled to prepare loan applications for submittal to the Ohio EPA under the Ohio Water Pollution Control Loan Fund (WPCLF) program to finance, through below-market interest rate loans, the planning, design and construction of capital improvements projects under the Division of Water Reclamation, which said financial assistance may be of help in reducing total project costs to the City's Sewerage and Stormwater customers; and
WHEREAS, prior to WPLCF loan agreement approval by the Ohio Water Development Authority, the WPCLF loan application and loan agreement documents require the City to submit to the Ohio EPA a certified copy of approved City Council legislation authorizing the Director of the Public Utilities Department to apply for and subsequently execute said WPCLF agreements, and to authorize a dedicated source of loan repayment for the loans; and
WHEREAS, per the requirement of the Ohio EPA, SECTION 1 of this ordinance lists the projects the Department of Public Utilities anticipates submitting for WPCLF loan approval in 2025 for City Council approval; and
WHEREAS, per the requirement of the Ohio EPA, this ordinance must also authorize a dedicated source of loan repayment for both the Stormwater and Sanitary loans; and
WHEREAS, it may become necessary for the Department of Public Utilities to add to or subtract from the list of projects anticipated to apply for Ohio Water Pollution Control Loan Fund financing due to schedule adjustments, departmental need, or the loaning agency deciding a project is not eligible for a loan; and
WHEREAS, it has become necessary in the usual daily operation of the Department of Public Utilities to authorize the Director to apply for, accept and enter into WPCLF loan agreements with the Ohio Water Development Authority and to submit a copy of this ordinance to the Ohio EPA prior to the OWDA Board's consideration for loan approvals; now, therefore
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Director of Public Utilities is hereby authorized to apply for, accept, and enter into Water Pollution Control Loan Fund Loan Agreements with the Ohio Water Development Authority and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, for the financing of the Division of Water Reclamation projects listed below:
|
1 |
610739-100000 |
60-15 Petzinger Rd Stormwater Imps |
|
2 |
610910-100001 |
Franklinton Area Stormwater System Improvements |
|
3 |
611031-100000 |
Stormwater Pump Stations (ST-21, ST-22, and ST-23) Improvements |
|
4 |
611037-100000 |
Krieger Court Stormwater Imps CONSTRUCTION + CA/CI |
|
5 |
611040-100001 |
Towers Court Storm Sewer Improvement |
|
6 |
611660-100029 |
DOSD Stormwater Pump Station ST-29 Evaluation & Upgrade |
|
7 |
611661-100000 |
Stormwater Remote Site Communication Network Upgrades |
|
8 |
611707-100000 |
Second Avenue Sewer Improvements |
|
9 |
611709-100000 |
Floodwall Closure Evaluations |
|
10 |
611720-100001 |
Storm Sewer lining Projects 2025-2026 |
|
11 |
650033-100002 |
Big Walnut Sanitary Trunk Extension, Phase 2 |
|
12 |
650033-100003 |
Central College Subtrunk Extension, Phase 3 CONSTRUCTION + CA/CI |
|
13 |
650037-100000 |
Inflow Redirection - Alum Creek Storm Tank Combined Sewer Area |
|
14 |
650240-100000 |
JPWWTP Digester Improvements |
|
15 |
650245-100002 |
Jackson Pike A-Plant Secondary Clarifier Electrical Upgrades & Miscellaneous Improvements |
|
16 |
650246-100001 |
JPWRP Sludge Dewatering Improvements |
|
17 |
650252-100010 |
JPWWTP Screening Improvements |
|
18 |
650257-100101 |
JPWWTP Power Systems Upgrades and Safety Improvements- Phase 1 |
|
19 |
650260-103016 |
SW Hazardous Gas Monitors Replacement |
|
20 |
650346-100002 |
SWRP VFD and Harmonic Filter Upgrades |
|
21 |
650346-100004 |
SWRP Switching Station Replacement |
|
22 |
650348-100007 |
SWRP Fiber Optic Backbone Upgrade and Replacement |
|
23 |
650349-100001 |
SWRP Dewatering Improvements |
|
24 |
650352-100008 |
SWWTP Biofilter Cold Weather Reliability Improvements |
|
25 |
650353-100006 |
SWWTP Digester Process Expansion, Phase II |
|
26 |
650357-100101 |
SWWTP Power System Upgrades and Safety Improvements-Phase 1 |
|
27 |
650375-100003 |
Compost Facility Odor Reduction Improvements - Part 2 |
|
28 |
650377-100000 |
Southerly Stormwater and Floodplain Improvements |
|
29 |
650404-100052 |
2025 Annual Linning Contract |
|
30 |
650491-100010 |
Intermodal Sanitary Subtrunk Extension Phase 2 |
|
31 |
650660-100013 |
DOSD Sanitary Pump Station ST-13 Evaluation & Upgrade |
|
32 |
650660-100013 |
DOSD Sanitary Pump Station SA-13 Evaluation & Upgrade |
|
33 |
650660-100100 |
DOSD Sanitary Pump Stations Construction |
|
34 |
650661-100000 |
Sanitary Remote Site Communication Network Upgrades |
|
35 |
650704-100004 |
OARS Grit Cleaning and Screening Improvements |
|
36 |
650724-100003 |
Lower Olentangy Tunnel Phase 2 |
|
37 |
650725-100034 |
Alum Creek Phase D _ South |
|
38 |
650768-100003 |
Third Avenue Relief - Phase 3 |
|
39 |
650860-122210 |
West Franklinton Area Sewer Reconfiguration |
|
40 |
650870-101201 |
Blueprint Miller Kelton Newton Bedford (Rain Garden) |
|
41 |
650870-101202 |
Blueprint Miller Kelton - Kent/Fairwood |
|
42 |
650870-109152 |
Blueprint 5th x Northwest Edgehill Meadow |
|
43 |
650870-109153 |
Blueprint 5thxNorthwest, Sunrise/Glenn Permeable Pavement |
|
44 |
650870-110161 |
Blueprint Winthrop Milton Area Integrated Solutions |
|
45 |
650870-110163 |
Blueprint Fredonia/Piedmont Area Integrated Solutions |
|
46 |
650870-110164 |
Blueprint Tulane / Findley Area Integrated Solutions |
|
47 |
650870-110165 |
Blueprint Milford / Summit Area Integrated Solutions |
|
48 |
650870-110167 |
Walhalla Ravine Stream Restoration |
|
49 |
650870-115153 |
Highland/Harris Integrated Solutions |
|
50 |
650870-122172 |
Blueprint Near South - Champion/Roberts Area Integrated Solutions |
|
51 |
650870-153001 |
Palmetto/Westgate Permeable Pavers |
|
52 |
650870-162001 |
Blueprint Miller Kelton Newton Bedford Permeable Pavers |
|
53 |
650870-162002 |
Blueprint Miller Kelton - Kent/Fairwood Permeable Pavers |
|
54 |
650872-139001 |
Lateral Lining - Blueprint Clintonville 3 Project 1 |
|
55 |
650872-139003 |
Lateral Lining - Blueprint Clintonville 3 Project 3 |
|
56 |
650872-162001 |
Blueprint Miller Kelton Newton Bedford Lateral Lining Project 1 |
|
57 |
650872-162003 |
Kent Fairwood Lateral Lining |
|
58 |
650895-100004 |
Community Park | Maple Canyon HSTS Elimination |
SECTION 2. City Council understands and agrees that the list of projects in SECTION 1 of this ordinance are the projects anticipated to be funded with Water Pollution Control Loan Fund Loan Agreements; that it may become necessary to add or subtract from this list of projects for various reasons including project schedule adjustments, departmental need, or the loaning agency deciding a project is not eligible for funding; and City Council authorizes the Director of Public Utilities to make changes to the list as the Director of Public Utilities deems necessary without seeking City Council approval for the changes and without amending this ordinance.
SECTION 3. That Sewerage System Service Charges are hereby authorized to be the dedicated source of repayment for the Sanitary and Treatment Engineering projects’ Water Pollution Control Loan Fund Loans.
SECTION 4. That Stormwater Fees are hereby authorized to be the dedicated source of repayment for the Stormwater projects’ Water Pollution Control Loan Fund Loans.
SECTION 5. That this ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and after the earliest period allowed by law.