The request covers design work involving the plant’s headworks, primary clarifiers and equalization basins or modifications. Statements of interest from engineering firms are due by 11 a.m. July 1, 2026.

The action is a request for engineering services. It is not an announcement that construction has started or that the wastewater treatment plant has already been upgraded.

Scope includes three treatment areas

The city’s notice identifies the headworks as part of the requested design scope, along with the plant’s primary clarifiers and equalization basins or modifications. Those components are the specific areas identified for potential improvement in the request.

By seeking statements of interest, Ravenna is asking qualified firms to present their interest and qualifications for the design work. The July 1 deadline is the immediate milestone in the city’s process.

The notice does not identify a selected engineering firm, estimated construction cost, funding source or final design schedule. Those details would be separate from the initial request for statements of interest and could be addressed as the city moves through the process.

Possible authorization could come in September

The notice indicates that city authorization could occur in September 2026. That is a prospective milestone, not a final authorization or a confirmation that construction will proceed on a set schedule.

Ravenna City Council is the city’s governing body for reviewing municipal projects and contracts. The council’s official meeting archive maintains 2026 records covering infrastructure, utilities and economic-development actions, providing the municipal context for any later review or authorization related to the wastewater project.

The engineering phase could help shape future decisions about wastewater-treatment capacity and reliability. It also has potential implications for utility service, environmental compliance and future capital costs, although the city has not disclosed the financial details of the potential upgrades.

For now, the confirmed action is the city’s solicitation of engineering interest. Firms must submit statements of interest by 11 a.m. July 1, 2026. The next stated milestone is possible city authorization in September.

Portage County’s unofficial canvass lists the question as 203 FOR and 250 AGAINST. That result means the additional 0.25% was not approved to take effect July 1, 2026.

Ballot recap: what voters were being asked to approve

According to the Portage County Board of Elections’ issue description, the proposal would have increased Ravenna’s municipal income tax rate by 0.25% for 30 years starting July 1, 2026, to support planning and constructing (and related work on) fire-station, police-station, and city-hall building purposes.

Official outcome: the measure lost in the canvass

In the Portage County canvass summary for the May 5 primary, the Ravenna city income tax question is recorded as 203 FOR and 250 AGAINST.

Because the measure did not carry, residents should not expect the proposed rate increase to begin on July 1, 2026.

What taxpayers should expect next: Ravenna’s current baseline rate

The City of Ravenna Finance Department describes the city’s current municipal income tax rate as 2.5% on wages and profits earned within the city limits.

With the proposed 0.25% increase failing, the city’s baseline rate remains aligned with the 2.5% figure described by Finance.

Where City Council fits in

In its June 1, 2026 regular meeting packet (posted July 2, 2026), Ravenna City Council listed communications that included the election results of the May 5, 2026 municipal income tax levy from the Portage County Board of Elections.

What to watch

While this specific ballot measure did not pass, facility/capital priorities connected to the proposal could still resurface through future budgeting and planning decisions. Residents may want to follow upcoming City Council agenda items for how Ravenna approaches those priorities without the extra 0.25% starting in July.

Sources

• Portage County BOE legal notices (Issue 7: Ravenna City Income Tax)
• City of Ravenna Finance—Income tax rate and tax facts