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TOLEDO, OHIO -- Higher water and sewer rates for the City of Toledo seem to be a guarantee. The issue remains how much of an increase and how soon.

City council members are scrambling to come to a consensus. Right now they are harshly divided on the issue of raising rates to pay for new infrastructure upgrades. The Department of Public Utilities says the rate hike is needed to fund desperately needed repairs and replacement of water mains and sewer lines.

But some say it is an issue of the city's own unwise spending.

"If you went to a financial institution and you said I've given you all you're going to get and you're not going to get any more do you honestly think you'd walk out the door with a check?" said Toledo City Council Member D. Michael Collins.

But most agree that they soon need to come to a strong majority agreement or else Mayor Mike Bell could veto their decision.

"It's pretty clear to me that if the mayor doesn't see the rate increase that he wants to see he's going to veto it so members of city council need to get together and try to come up with a consensus," said Toledo City Council Member Lindsay Webb.

"There's going to have to be a middle ground but it's going to have to be a middle ground that's affordable to the population of this city," said Collins.

What they can afford is what is on the minds of many residents.

"That would be justifiable in people's minds--to pay a little bit to help with the infrastructure for the lack of usage but to go up to that incredible amount of money which they're proposing--especially compounded--we're going to bankrupt the city," said Sylvania Township Trustee David Haddad.

As a Sylvania Township Trustee Haddad says if the city adopts these rate hikes, he will push for developing a separate water system.

"We probably could get at least 50% of it funded from the federal government with the rest coming from the district and the residents and they would pay that back in a bond fund of proportionate levels which would equal what we're going to be paying the City of Toledo if their water levels pass for Michael Bell's proposal," said Haddad.

Right now, the city and many on council seem to be leaning towards Webb's rate increase proposal: over the next four years it would increase water bills by 9% each year, sewer by 6.75% and storm water by 7.5% plus a fixed fee just for improvements. The rates were agreed upon by Toledo Mayor Mike Bell and councilmembers Lindsay Webb, Tom Waniewski and Joe McNamara last week. 

Toledo City Council is expected to discuss a proposal to increase water and sewer rates at the next council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 25.