DPW Recommends 'Small' Increases in Water/Sewer, Decrease in Recycling Fee

Department of Public Works director Jonathan Beder will request a "small" increase in the water and sewer rates, transfer station passes and a 33 percent decrease in the annual recycling only fee.

Beder will make the recommendations to the Board of Selectmen Tuesday night, where he'll also provide an update on the proposed curbside trash pick-up project. In late March, the DPW received five bids from waste management companies and has been going through the price proposals with the procurement officer and a review team.

According to the memo to the Board of Selectmen, the DPW will recommend no increase to the water base charge of $25, or the yearly private fire protection charge. Rather the increase will be a one percent increase in each of the three block rates. Last year, Selectmen instituted much larger increases in each block,

• 11.21 percent for up to 3,000 cubic fee,
• 21.95 percent for 3,001 to 9,000 cubic feet, and
• 23.98 percent for over 9,000 cubic feet.

The increases helped lead to a balance in the water enterprise fund of $1,235,519.

The proposed fees would increase the three blocks as follows:

• $1.29 to $1.30 for up to 3,000 cubic feet,
• $2 to $2.02 for 3,001 to 9,000 cubic feet, ad
• $2.43 to $2.45 for over 9,000 cubic feet.

Under the proposal, sewer fees would increase 15 percent in each rate block, while the semi-annual base charge remains $85. Last year, Selectmen approced a one percent rate increase across the board. Beder notes in his proposal that this is the first year that the sewer enterprise fund is not being subsidized by the general fund. The fund has a current balance of $1,168,206, while expenditures are approximately $4.8 million annually.

"We need to be sure to raise that amount, in order to cover the budget," Beder writes.

The proposed increases are as follows:

• up to 3,000 cubic feet from $4.14 to $4.76
• 3,001 to 9,000 cubic feet $5.61 to $6.45
• over 9,000 cubic feet from $6.60 to $7.59

With increases in transfer station passes last year the solid waste fund has earned $192,988 in the past year, but Beder says increases are nessesary "to provide continued success in this division."

The increases, Beder claims are necessary due to the declining number of pass sales in the past two yers combined with the need to "ramp up" the rate in order to meet the end of the SEMASS contract, which expires in 2015.

The current rate on the SEMASS contract is $22.78 per ton, but in 2015, the rate will increaase sharply to $85 per ton.

In order to prepare for the increase in three years, Beder proposes increases across the board.

• Regular transfer station pass: currently $186, increase of 4.83 percent to $195
• Senior/Handicapped pass: currently $141, increase of 2.83 percent to $145
• Annual recycling fee: currently $15, decrease of 33.33 percent to $10
• Sesonal pass: currently $65 increase of 7.69 percent to $70
• Monthly pass: currently $25 no increase is proposed.

To decrease foot traffic, Beder is recommending a $10 discount on online credit card purchases, along with the $5 credit card fee, it would still save customers $5. If customers pay online from a checking account there is no credit card fee.