Meetings
Dec 2 – Dec 5
Monday, December 2
Sewer
Meeting Treatment
Plant 4:30
Templeton sewer seeking input
on proposed rate increases
Kerry O'Brien
News Staff Writer
TEMPLETON — The Sewer
Department is hosting a hearing for rate-payers Monday evening to gather
feedback on the rate increases their proposing.
“We just want the people to be notified and get
their input,” said Sewer Commission Chairman Mark Moschetti. “We have the
paperwork to prove where our rates should be, but we want to know what the
market will bear — we just don’t want to blind side our customers.”
Last year, Phillipston resident Rick Reppucci filed
suit against the department — which has approximately 1,400 clients — claiming
that the tie-in fee for new customers was too high and the department had no
justification for the rate.
In response to the legal action, the department
commissioned $20,000 from town meeting voters in order to conduct a study of
their rates. Officials are encouraging residents to attend their meeting Dec. 2
at 4:30 p.m. at the sewer department to seek input from customers.
“We spent a lot of money for a rate study and we
want to show what we came up with,” Mr. Moschetti said.
Worcester Superior Court sided with Mr. Reppucci,
according to Mr. Moschetti, deeming that the tie-in fee should be cut in half
following the results of the study.
“We needed a basis for our fees,” Mr. Moschetti
said. “We need to show why they are what they are.”
During the hearing, various scenarios of how the
rates could be increased will be presented.
“(The rate is) going to go up, but it could be all
in one shot or over a few years,” said Mr. Moschetti. “That’s what I want to
get from the people, what do they think is fair.”
The necessity for the increase is partially driven
by customers unpaid debts as well as a need to do repairs and upgrades, Mr.
Moschetti said.
“Things are deteriorating and we have to fix them
because we run 24/7,” he said. “Everyone keeps flushing. Things are going to
have to be upgraded and fixed, and it comes from the rates. We get no money
from taxation. We get our money from callers and users.”
The study will be available to the public via the
department’s website after the hearing.
Mr. Moschetti said the commission will hold an
official rate meeting to vote on the new rates in February.
Board
of Health 2 School St 6 pm
BOS
690 patriots Rd 6:30 pm
Tuesday Dec 3
Capital
Planning 690 Patriots
Rd 6:30 pm
Historical
Commission Boynton
PL 7:00 pm
Wednesday Dec 4
Assessors 2 School St
2:00 pm
Advisory
Board 690
Patriots Rd 6:30 pm
Thursday Dec 5
COA 690
Patriots Rd 1:30 pm
CPC 690 Patriots
Rd 6:00 pm
Open
Space 690
Patriots Rd 7:00 pm
Board
of Health
2 School St 7:00 pm
A lot of credit should be given to the Sewer Commissioners for reaching out to the people that will be affected by the change in their sewer rates. I have always felt it is the right thing to do to work with the people you have as customers, and not just make changes with no explanation, of why. Times are hard for people with fixed incomes, and it seems that they are getting hit on both sides. The changes that were used as a good reason to split sewer and water departments, have not happened and most likely made it harder for the Sewer Commissioners to collect the money owed to them. Looks like the good people of Templeton were handed a line of crap once again, and all the empty promises have done is cost everyone in this town a lot of money. People on the town sewer should go to the meeting tonight and ask questions. Feel free to bring your neighbors a long for the ride. Bev.
ReplyDeleteJust for the record, I believe I am right when I say it is not just the users of the Water and Sewer Departments that will pay the freight. From what I understand, the rate payers pay 25% of any increase and the rest of us pay the balance. I know people with more information than I have will correct me if I am wrong, and that is fine with me. I know people who are not on any of the two services have been relieved, but it is not that easy. It does seem we are all in this together. I want to make something very clear from the start, I know none of us has a bone to pick with the people who work for the Light or Water Departments, and we never have. I do think we are being taken to the cleaners by the people who should be running these departments for the good of the people who pay the way, and it is my feeling that message was lost about ten or eleven years ago. Information may come in dribbs and drabs, due to the holiday season but you will have enough information by the time we are done to draw your own conclusions. Bev.
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