Politics & Government

Water Rates To Increase 20%; Sewer Rates to Increase 12-13%

The main reasons for the increase is the reduction of water usage by residents and businesses, the cost of water from the MWRA and the significant number of water & sewer projects the Town of Framingham has to complete.

Framingham Selectmen unanimously approved new water and sewer rates for Framingham residents Tuesday night. 

Water rates will increase, on average, by 20 percent for Framingham homeowners. Some may see a 19 percent increase and some a 21 percent increase, based on water consumption.

Sewer rates will increase by 12 or 13 percent, again based on consumption.

And that is not all the bad news. Due to the long list of water and sewer projects the Town of Framingham has, CFO Mary Ellen Kelley said that water and sewer rates are projected to increase "significantly" for Fiscal Year 2015, 2016 and 2017, too. She said rates should level off around Fiscal Year 2018 and 2019.

Framingham Selectman Chair Dennis Giombetti said the main reasons for the increase this year was:

  • the cost of the water from Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA)
  • the reduction of water consumption by residents and businesses
  • the Town of Framingham's capital investment in the water & sewer systems

Chief Financial Officer Kelley, in her presentation to Selectmen, said an increase in costs raises water & sewer rates, while a decrease in costs lowers rates.
But an increase in water usage lowers the rate, while a decrease in usage raises rates.

She said the Town of Framingham's trend, like most communities in Massachusetts, is downward.

There is a 25 percent discount available to elderly, disabled Veterans and those who are blind. The discount means the Town collects about $75,000 less in revenue, said the CFO.

Kelley said the average family uses about 120 units of water. With the old Fiscal Year 2013 rate, they would have paid about $1,247. With the new Fiscal Year 2014 rate, they will now pay about $1,444  or about a $200 increase.

The last major rate increase was in 2009, when a 22% increase was approved, said Selectman Michael Bower. Bower said since then, rate increases have been 6, 1, 4, and 3 percent.

Bower said he was very concerned about the proposed large increases in rates for Fiscal Years 2015, 2016, etc.

CFO Kelley said the town still has pipes from the 1800s all around town, including on Union Avenue where the Memorial Building is.

The town still need to make a significant investment to replace pipes, said Kelley.

The vote was 4-0, with Selectman Jason Smith not present, to increase the rates.

The new water rates are:

Tier 1: from $4.38 to $5.25 - 20 percent increase
Tier 2: from $4.85 to $5.82 - 20 percent increase
Tier 3: from $5.63 to $6.78 - 20 percent increase
Tier 4: from $6.59 to $7.99 - 21 percent increase
Tier 5: from $7.96 to $9.67 - 21 percent increase
Irrigation rate from $8.20 to $9.74 - 19 percent increase
Discount rate $3.29 to $3.94 - 20 percent increase

The new sewer rates are:

Tier 1: $5.36 to $6.02 - 12 percent increase
Tier 2: $5.54 to $6.21 - 12 percent increase
Tier 3: $7.39 to $8.32 - 13 percent increase
Tier 4: $10.37 to $11.93 - 13 percent increase
Tier 5: $15.35 to $17.35 - 13 percent increase
Discount rate: $4.02 to $4.52 - 12 percent increase


 


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