Frequently Asked Questions

The City of Piqua operates under the Council-Manager form of municipal government. In Piqua, the City Manager is hired by the City Commission and serves as the appointed administrator and operates as the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and oversees the day-to-day operations of the city.

Council-manager government combines the strong political leadership of elected officials with the strong managerial experience of an appointed manager or administrator. All power and authority to set policy rests with an elected governing body, which includes a mayor or chairperson and members of the council, commission, or board. The governing body in turn hires a nonpartisan manager who has very broad authority to run the organization.

Born out of the U.S. progressive reform movement at the turn of the 20th century, the council-manager system was designed to combat corruption and unethical activity in local government by promoting effective management within a transparent, responsive, and accountable structure.

Since its establishment, the council-manager form has become the most popular structure of local government in the United States. The form is also widely used throughout the world in countries such as Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

The elected council or board represent their community and develop a long-range vision for its future. They establish policies that affect the overall operation of the community and are responsive to residents' needs and wishes.

To ensure that these policies are carried out and that the entire community is equitably served, the governing body appoints a highly trained professional manager on the basis of their education, experience, skills, and abilities (and not their political allegiances). If the manager is not responsive to the governing body, it has the authority to terminate the manager at any time.

A city, town, or county benefits from the council-manager form of government in a number of important ways:

• Political power is concentrated in the entire governing body. The mayor and council share legislative functions
• Policy making resides with elected officials, while oversight of the day-to-day operations of the community resides with the manager. In this way, the elected officials are free to devote time to policy planning and development
• The manager carries out the policies established by the elected governing body with an emphasis on effective, efficient, and equitable service delivery
• Because decisions on policy and the future of the community are made by the entire governing body rather than a single individual, council-manager governments more often engage and involve their residents in decision making. Residents guide their community by serving on boards and commissions, participating in visioning and strategic planning, and designing community-oriented local government services
• The form is flexible enough to adapt to local needs and demands. For example, some communities elect their councils at large, while others elect them by district or by a combination of an at-large-and-by-district system. Also, the mayor can be directly elected by voters or selected by and from among the council.

The manager is hired to serve the council and the community and brings to the local government the benefits of his/her training and experience in administering municipal or county projects and programs. The manager prepares a budget for the council's consideration; recruits, hires, terminates, and supervises government staff; serves as the council's chief advisor; and carries out the council's policies. Council members and residents count on the manager to provide complete and objective information about local operations, discuss the pros and cons of alternatives, and offer an assessment of the long-term consequences of their decisions.

Appointed managers serve at the pleasure of the governing body. They can be fired by a majority of the council, consistent with local laws, or any employment agreements they may enter into with the council. The manager makes policy recommendations to the council for consideration and final decision. The manager is bound by whatever action the council takes, and control is always in the hands of the elected representatives of the people.

The council is the community's legislative and policymaking body. Power is centralized in the elected council, which, for example, approves the budget and determines the tax rate. The council also focuses on the community's goals, major projects, and such long-term considerations as community growth, land use development, capital improvement and financing, and strategic planning. The council hires a professional manager to implement the administrative responsibilities related to these goals and supervises the manager's performance.

Mayors or chairpersons in council-manager communities are key political and policy leaders, and their specific duties, responsibilities, and authorities depend on the organization's charter. In council-manager communities, typically the mayor or chairperson is a voting member of the city council who:

• Presides at council meetings
• Represents the city in intergovernmental relationships
• Appoints members of citizen advisory boards and commissions (with the advice and consent of council)
• Assigns agenda items to committees
• Facilitates communication and understanding between elected and appointed officials
• Assists the council in setting goals and advocating policy decisions

Piqua’s utilities are locally controlled, not-for-profit utilities that invest revenue to support reliable and sustainable service for the community.

The Electric, Water and Wastewater funds are structured as enterprise funds. Each operates independently from one another and the General Fund and are funded by utility usage and service payments. These funds are used to build and maintain infrastructure, cover operating and maintenance expenses and plan for future system needs in service to customers.

Enterprise funds function similarly to business accounts with their own revenues, expenditures, liabilities and assets. Revenues collected are used solely for their intended utility purposes, including both day-to-day operating expenses and long-term capital investments.

Electric rates have not been adjusted since 2015. Over the past decade, inflation and increasing costs of labor and materials have made an adjustment necessary to maintain system reliability and long-term financial sustainability for the community. 

In Piqua Power System’s annual budget, about 80 percent of expenditure is the cost to purchase electricity, while the remaining 20 percent represent operational costs. Both cost centers have seen increases over the previous 10 years.

The cost of equipment and supplies also continues to increase. In the past five years alone, poles, wire, transformers, meters and line equipment vehicles have increased as much as 369 percent. The graphic below highlights the cost pressures facing Piqua Power System.

The Power System has absorbed inflation in equipment and power supply costs for more than a decade by utilizing its cash reserves and being a good steward of its financial resources.

The power system owns and utilizes two gas-fired generation units that directly save customers money on power supply costs — estimated at more than $3 million in savings in 2026.

Piqua’s Water and Wastewater funds have healthy cash reserves based on revenues from the past several years. As cash reserves increase, the City of Piqua team evaluates the appropriate time to lower rates as fund performance allows.

The base customer fee for all users is decreasing while specialized fees (such as tap fees, bulk water and lab testing for services offered on an as-needed basis) are increasing.

The proposed rate adjustment being considered by Piqua City Commission includes changes to both the residential kilowatt-hour (kWh) rate and the fixed customer charge. Based on average usage of 750 kWh per month, the estimated monthly impact to residential customers would be approximately $7 in 2026, $6 in 2027, $2 in 2028 and $1 in 2029.

If approved, the monthly base rate for all water customers would decrease by $1.23 per month and $3.80 per month for sewer customers, for the remainder of 2026. Additionally, sewer rates will decrease by another $1.00 per month in 2027 and again by another $1.00 per month in 2028.

For customers who receive all three City-owned utilities — electric, water and wastewater — the combined adjustments are expected to minimize ratepayers’ overall budgetary impact. 

The City of Piqua team regularly reviews enterprise fund performance, cash reserves and rate structures to determine whether adjustments are necessary.

The City recently engaged Sawvel & Associates to complete a cost of service and rate study for the Power System. The comprehensive process evaluated operational needs, capital investment requirements and financial policies, including City Commission-approved reserve targets. The study also examined existing rates to ensure they are fair and equitable and properly allocate costs to the different categories of customers based on how each category causes costs to be incurred. 

As part of a similar review process, the Utilities Department identified opportunities to reduce water and wastewater rates to keep City utilities affordable.

The Energy & Utility Board — a citizen board that advises the City Commission on how Piqua’s municipal power and utility systems are operated, managed and maintained — reviewed and unanimously recommended approval of the changes.

If approved, the rate adjustments would take effect for bills calculated in June 2026.

Even after the four-year adjustment period, Piqua’s residential electric rate will remain significantly lower than current rates for AES Ohio (formerly Dayton Power & Light) customers and below the Ohio utility average.

Piqua’s water and sewer rates remain competitive with other communities throughout the region. Piqua’s Utilities Department hosts an annual rate survey among neighboring communities, and the 2026 results can be found here on our website: https://piquaoh.gov/549/Water-Sewer-Rate-Surveys.

An additional consideration is that local control allows Piqua’s utility employees to offer community benefits within their daily operations.

The Utilities Department and Power System crews support other City operations throughout the year, including with snow-plowing efforts. The Power System team also maintains the traffic signals and streetlights throughout Piqua, supports neighboring communities through emergency response mutual aid, participates in safety demonstrations at local schools, provides specialty electric needs for festivals and community events, and assists with downtown holiday lighting and veteran banners.

Yes. Both commercial and industrial rates are included in the proposed utility rate ordinances. Those customer classes will see a similar percentage increase to the residential customer class.

The electric rate ordinance also proposes a new rate for transmission access service. This rate applies to customers that take service at transmission voltage of 69 kilovolts.

No. For the Power System adjustment, Sawvel & Associates’ cost-of-service and rate study projections did not include any costs or potential revenues associated with the proposed data center within Piqua Power System’s territory. The Power System intends to serve the data center site with construction power needs only. Operational load will be served by AES Ohio. Any costs incurred to serve the construction power load will be paid for entirely by the data center customer.

Piqua Power System operates as an enterprise fund, funded entirely from utility payments. These funds are used to build and maintain infrastructure, cover operating expenses and plan for future system needs in service to customers.

Piqua Power System does not carry debt and has no interest expense associated with debt. The Electric Fund cash reserve policy is a financial management tool that is codified by ordinance and approved by the Energy & Utility Board and Piqua City Commission.

The proposed electric rate adjustment ensures the Power System can meet power supply cash requirements, is prepared to respond to unforeseen weather and other potential catastrophic events and meets minimum fund balance requirements codified by Piqua City Commission.

Piqua Power System customers will continue to enjoy the same service and reliability they have come to expect. In fact, the power system maintains an average reliability of 99.99% and is a regular recipient of the American Public Power Association’s Diamond Level designation as a Reliable Public Power Provider. Maintaining this level of reliability requires periodic rate adjustments to keep pace with rising costs for materials, services and system improvements.

The City of Piqua closely monitors and evaluates market fluctuations that affect the costs of offering utility services to residents. The cost of equipment, supplies and vehicles have continued to rise and affect the model of delivery. 

City administration considers the cost of offering the service balanced with affordable rates for customers as it makes investments and sets fees for residential and commercial customers. 

The City of Piqua offers ways for customers to track their utility use and adjust their habits to reduce costs.

The SmartHub application offers a convenient way to manage and pay bills. The software also gives customers access to the data from their electric and water meters so they can monitor their usage and make changes in their homes to reduce utility bills.

Customers can even set up alerts, so they receive a text message or email when usage exceeds thresholds set by the customer.

To learn more, visit piquaoh.gov/smarthub. For questions about billing cycles or for help with SmartHub’s features, call the City of Piqua Utility Business Office at 937.778.2000.

Residential customers with more than one trash or recycling cart and commercial service customers with more than three trash or recycling carts will also receive an invoice from Rumpke. Rumpke bills quarterly directly to the customer for this optional add-on service. Additional carts are billed at $3.50 each per month.

Customers who believe that they received a bill in error should contact Rumpke directly at 1-800-828-8171, and the customer service team can remedy concerns.

Customers with an extra cart that they do not wish to maintain should contact Rumpke directly at 1-800-828-8171, and the customer service team can assist with amending the billing and removing the cart from customers’ property.

The City of Piqua is now billing customers utilizing an extra cart a standard rate without an extra cart fee to account for Rumpke billing customers directly for those optional add-ons.

Rumpke is contacting customers via postal mail to select the cart sizes that they wish to use going forward. Customers are asked to select among 35-gallon, 65-gallon and 95-gallon carts by May 2, 2025, for collection service going forward. The cart selection form can be found by visiting selectmycart.com/piquaoh.

Residential and commercial customers will automatically receive one brown 95-gallon trash cart and one green 95-gallon recycling cart unless they select a different option by the May 2 deadline. No action is necessary for customers satisfied with the 95-gallon carts option.

Please note that there is no price difference between a 65-gallon and 95-gallon recycling cart. This is a way to promote recycling within the community.

The Piqua City Commission-approved rates for 2025 will take effect with the billing cycle calculated on June 6. The City of Piqua is delaying the implementation of the increased billing charges to allow customers time to adjust their cart selections with Rumpke as desired.

Additionally, the City of Piqua is now billing customers utilizing an extra cart a standard rate without an extra cart fee to account for Rumpke billing customers directly for those optional add-ons.

Yes! Rumpke accepts plastic bottles, jugs, tubs and cups, mixed with other recyclables and placed in provided recycling carts. Please note that non-recyclable items such as toys are accepted in refuse bins only. For more information about accepted recyclable items, please visit rumpke.com or contact Rumpke’s customer service team at 1-800-828-8171.

Residents can dispose of up to three properly prepared large items. Mattresses, box springs and upholstered furniture must be wrapped and sealed in plastic. Mattresses and box springs are treated as one large item. Freon must be properly removed from appliances by a certified professional before collection. Carpet must be bundled and tied in sections no larger than 4-feet-long and 2-feet-wide. Bundles should not exceed 50 pounds.

Rumpke requests, but does not require, that customers call in if they have a large bulk item for pickup.

Loose shrubbery or lumber must be bundled and tied in lengths no larger than 4 feet long and 2 feet wide. Bundles should not exceed 50 pounds. Grass clippings can be placed in paper bags next to refuse carts or directly into the refuse cart.

Bulky materials including drywall, concrete, bricks, dirt or rocks are not accepted curbside. Contact Rumpke for disposal options.

Customers will continue to use the City trash and recycling carts currently in service for collection. The current City carts have been in service for 8 to 10 years and are at the end of their life cycle. 

Rumpke is substituting carts currently in use with its own carts beginning Saturday, May 10 and continuing through Thursday, May 15 using the following schedule. Residents should place their Piqua-branded carts at the curb beginning Monday, May 12, for crews to collect and recycle. 

• Monday collection day: Rumpke cart delivery on Saturday, May 10; City cart removal on Monday, May 12
• Tuesday collection day: Rumpke cart delivery on Monday, May 12; City cart removal on Tuesday, May 13
• Wednesday collection day: Rumpke cart delivery on Tuesday, May 13; City cart removal on Wednesday, May 14
• Thursday collection day: Rumpke cart delivery on Wednesday, May 14; City cart removal on Thursday, May 15
• Friday collection day: Rumpke cart delivery on Thursday, May 15; City cart removal on Friday, May 16

 For cart size, cart swap or service collection concerns, call Rumpke Waste & Recycling at 1-800-828-8171.

Sanitation services with Rumpke Waste & Recycling began on March 31, 2025. City administration has worked with Rumpke Waste & Recycling to develop a plan to best facilitate a seamless transition of service, including utilizing customers’ existing carts and maintaining the same collection schedule.

Rumpke will provide the same collection offerings, carts and pickup schedule as the City is using now. These services include refuse and recycling pickup from provided carts and weekly pickup of bulk items and yard waste meeting provided guidelines. 

Fees for Rumpke service are posted for customers following contract finalization and Piqua City Commission approval of the amendments to Chapter 50 of the Piqua Code. The rates are guaranteed for five years with an additional five-year option. 

The transition to Rumpke service represents a multi-year fee savings to residential and commercial customers compared to anticipated rate adjustments under the City.  

To view the rates for 2025 to 2029, visit piquaoh.gov/269/Refuse-Rates.

Customers will continue to be billed for standard trash and recycling services by the City of Piqua along with the other utility services offered. This includes one trash cart and one recycling cart for residential customers. Customers will not be billed a fee for the City to handle the billing for sanitation services.  

Residential customers with more than one trash or recycling cart and commercial cart service customers with more than three trash or recycling carts will also receive an invoice from Rumpke. Rumpke bills quarterly directly to the customer for this optional add-on services. Additional carts are billed at $3.50 each per month.

Yes! In September 2024, all of the full-time employees of the City of Piqua Sanitation Division were notified that they would be kept whole and offered positions within the City in lieu of layoff if the services were outsourced. Per an agreement reached with the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) in November 2024, Sanitation Division employees have been offered positions in other City departments that were held or created for this purpose.  They will maintain full-time employment at the same level of compensation and benefits with the City of Piqua.  

The City of Piqua purchased recycling carts in 2015 and refuse carts in 2018. The current City carts have been in service for 8 to 10 years and are at the end of their life cycle. Rumpke will substitute carts currently in use with its own between May 10 and May 26, 2025. 

Trucks used for refuse and recycling collection were most recently purchased in 2021. Excess City vehicles for sanitation collection were sold via the online auction site used for surplus equipment and supplies. The proceeds from the sales will be kept in the Sanitation Division enterprise fund.

The City of Piqua closely monitors and evaluates market fluctuations that affect the costs to offer sanitation services to residents. The cost of vehicles, carts and other key equipment have continued to rise and affect the sanitation model of delivery. 

City administration considers the cost of offering the service balanced with affordable rates for customers as it makes investments and sets fees for residential and commercial customers. 

Due to these factors, the City of Piqua staff and Commissioners have been considering the transition to contracted sanitation service since July 2024. 

The Sanitation Division operates as an enterprise fund functioning independently from other governmental activities and is not supplemented by the City’s General Fund. 

The fund balance will be used to continue to support the Utility Business Office, which will continue to offer billing services for sanitation services as well as the City’s other utilities. Any decisions about expenditures from the fund not included in the 2025 approved budget will come to Piqua City Commission for consideration and approval. 

Piqua City Commission on February 4, 2025, authorized the city manager to enter into a contract agreement with Rumpke Waste & Recycling to provide refuse, recycling and yard waste collection. 

As staffing, equipment costs and tipping fees continue to escalate, the City is challenged to offer sanitation services at a reasonable rate to customers.  

City of Piqua staff and Commissioners have been considering the transition to contracted sanitation service since July 2024. Rumpke submitted the sole response to the City’s request for proposals to offer contracted sanitation services. 

Commission considered the proposal in January 2025 and brought back three solutions to the sanitation crisis in February 2025, including increasing rates for the City division to continue offering the service or developing a citizen-selected vendor program. 

The decision to contract with Rumpke represents a multi-year fee savings to residential and commercial customers in the City and solves the many challenges facing the department.