The constant barrage of deceptive and sometimes outright false allegations surrounding the costs included in our water bills must stop. Some people believe what they hear without question, and the false rumors directly harm our town. Who would want to buy a home or locate a business in a corrupt town where “artificially inflated” water rates are resulting in “hundreds of people who can’t pay their water bills”? Or, a town where “$150,000 was found in the DPW”, a department with “65% of their payroll funded from water and sewer rates”? This information, being incessantly repeated despite proof to the contrary, is spreading. It has a direct negative impact on our property values, and affects the perception and reputation of our town.
Here is some truth, all of which can be found in records available to the public:
The former TA and the DPW director never said the rates were artificially inflated. The meeting where this is purported to have taken place, June 15, 2015, never existed. A June 9, 2015 meeting of that year did include a discussion of water and sewer rates. No such admission was made then, or ever. The former TA and the DPW director have stated many times that there were no illegalities, that they did what they were directed to do by the Board of Selectmen. It is not illegal to fund water and sewer expenses, including employees, out of the water and sewer enterprise funds. Switching the funding to come from the tax base does not make the cost go away. Only 9% of our water/sewer rate pays for salaries of the DPW employees working on water/sewer tasks. The vast majority is the MWRA assessment, which we have no discretion over.
The “water rates” were not “raised by a dollar” due to “improper management.” In 2015, the water rate increased by $1, but the sewer rate was lowered by .75, resulting in a .25 increase in our rates, due to a marked decrease in water consumption. The MWRA assessment is billed from the usage of 18 months prior, so the money the town collected based on the current usage could not adequately cover the MWRA bill.
Going back as far as FY2008, based on year end personnel costs expended, DPW salaries were never “65% funded by water and sewer funds.” And $150,000 was never “found” in the DPW, because it was never lost.
Please don’t perpetuate the outrageous and harmful nonsense by unquestioningly believing it or by spreading it around.
