Beverly To Spend $7.5 Million On New Water Meters; Rates To Rise 10%

BEVERLY, MA — Beverly residents and business owners should expect to pay an additional 10 percent for water and sewer service in 2026, in part, because of $7.5 million in new water meter purchases and installation designed to more accurately measure water use and to replace aging meters that no longer report accurately.

City Budget Analyst Gerard Perry told the Council that costs directly related to the new meters will likely result in a 3.37 percent increase in 2026 and 2.87 percent increase in 2027, and combined with other projects and expenses, could raise rates about 10 percent. The new meters are expected to have a useful lifespan of 15 to 20 years.

City Finance Director and Treasurer Bryant Ayles said even with the increases, Beverly would remain on the lower end of water and sewer rates compared to neighboring communities.

The City Council met in a special session on Monday to approve the borrowing in an effort to get ahead of potential cost increases as a result of threatened federal government tariffs that officials said could add $300,000 to $350,000 to the project.

"I just don't know what's going to come out of Washington D.C.," Perry said. "One day, there's tariffs. The next day, there isn't. It's kind of all over the place. As I understand it, if there are tariffs, and there are goods coming over here, the cost of those goods could go up.

"Simply put, if we can get ahead of those tariffs, maybe it won't impact (costs). But there is concern about that to the degree that I think it is wise to try to get ahead of them."

The proposed meters are built and sold in the United States but do include parts that need to be imported. The expedited purchase is intended to buy meters currently "on the shelves" instead of those to be constructed using imported materials.

The new meters will replace the current ones — many of which are no longer actively working and require "estimated" payment from customers. The replacement of the meters will include a more accurate reading that officials allowed may lead to back costs for customers who were underpaying in recent years.

About seven percent of the city's 1,260 water and sewer customers are on estimated readings.

Officials said the city has been in contact with customers on those estimated readings to help minimize the impact of any substantial back payment that will be required.

"They are doing all the right things humanly possible on these estimated bills," Perry said. "They are doing everything they can. But we are going to have some of this. It's going to happen no matter how hard they work at it. ...

"The bottom line is that it's something that's going to happen and in conversations I've had with (Ayles) and our city solicitor, they are going to make every effort to do the best they can to soften the hit for some of these people who may get a large bill."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)