Butler County nears finalization of major wholesale water agreements with regional suppliers

Butler County nears finalization of major wholesale water agreements with regional suppliersThe Butler County Board of Commissioners has approved a final four-month extension to its existing water supply arrangement with the City of Hamilton as officials complete negotiations on a long-term wholesale contract that provides two-thirds of the county's water.

The Board approved a third extension, effective September 1 through December 31, 2026, to suspend certain sections of the Hamilton Water Supply Agreement while final terms are negotiated.

The City of Hamilton currently supplies nearly two-thirds of the water for Butler County's utility customers.

A separate wholesale water agreement with the City of Monroe is expected to be adopted shortly, following acceptance of terms by Monroe officials.

Negotiations have also generally concluded with Greater Cincinnati Water Works, which supplies approximately one-third of the county's water.

Butler County is on the verge of cementing its long-term regional water supply strategy, nearing the completion of wholesale water agreements with three major municipal suppliers. During an August 25, 2026 meeting, the Butler County Board of Commissioners approved a third extension to an agreement suspending certain sections of the Hamilton Water Supply Agreement. This extension, which runs from September 1 through December 31, 2026, is intended to be the final four-month suspension period required to finalize a new wholesale contract between the county and the city. County Administrator Judi Boyko informed the board that negotiations with City Manager Buchheit have been productive over the past several months. "You receive nearly two-thirds of your water supply to serve your customers from the City of Hamilton," Boyko noted, adding that both parties have been highly protective of their respective interests and ratepayers. "We are very close. We just didn't have enough time to finalize the last few terms." The finalized Hamilton agreement is expected to be brought before both the county commissioners and the Hamilton city council for approval within the next month. In addition to the Hamilton contract, the county is finalizing two other critical supply agreements. Boyko reported that a wholesale water agreement with the City of Monroe was scheduled for consideration at Monroe's concurrent city meeting, with terms reportedly accepted by Monroe's city manager and awaiting imminent adoption by the county board. Furthermore, negotiations with Greater Cincinnati Water Works—which supplies approximately one-third of the county's water to a separate portion of the system—have generally concluded. County staff are currently codifying those terms and anticipate presenting the final agreement to the commissioners in the coming months. In routine utility business, the board also approved several personnel changes within the Water and Sewer department, including the promotion of Nolan Hatten to Wastewater Collections Operator II and the hiring of Dustin Rosmarin as a Customer Service Tech I.