Midvale, Ohio - Village water board officials are taking a look at the department’s financial outlook so they can start planning for future improvements.

Board member Keith Thomas says they approved a contract Monday with TnT Engineering of Willoughby to have them develop a financial forecast for the water department based on past revenue and anticipated future expenses. 

"They’re gonna review the financial records for the last three to five years so we have a history of the water funds. They’re gonna create a format for us to review the past finances and future fiscal needs, and hopefully, this will help us get funding for the projects coming up," he says.

The board is currently looking at potential upgrades to their water treatment plant in Barnhill to reduce the amount of manganese in the town’s water supply. Thomas says this report will help them access funding for those improvements and other future projects.

"This is a requirement for us to be able to go and get certain state funding and funding for the EPA. This will help ease the financial stress on the village, so the more information that we can put together right now will help us in the long term," he says.

Thomas says the board will also be taking a look at its current rates to determine whether those should be raised in the future.

"Right now, we’re kind of on the low percentage of that. We need to get our rates up to standard so for the long-term of the village that we can maintain the water system, so we’re trying to get a rate analysis to make sure we fall where we need to be for the size of our village," he says.

The water system currently serves about 1,100 residents in Midvale, Barnhill, Roswell and Brightwood. 

STACEY CARMANY, TUSCO TV