A public hearing on the matter will be held in conference room B at the Municipal Building.
View full sizeEasthampton Department of Public Works director Joseph I. Pipczynski in a 2009 file photo.EASTHAMPTON – The Board of Public Works is considering increasing fees for water and sewer services to close a budget gap that would otherwise require expense cuts and layoffs, said DPW director Joseph I. Pipczynski.
A public hearing on the matter will be held Wednesday at 6 p.m. in conference room B at the Municipal Building at 50 Payson Ave.
“Obviously, we’ve got to raise the rates because we don’t have enough money to cover expenses,” said Pipczynski. “That seems to be the way things are these days.”
In the past, rate increases have been about five cents per 100 cubic feet of water and sewer, he said, but these proposed hikes would be 25 cents for water and 40 cents for sewer. There is also an additional five-cent increase that had previously been set for July 1.
The current water rate is $2 per 100 cubic feet and the annual cost is an average of $258; the sewer rate is $3.35 per 100 cubic feet and the average annual charge is $426.
With the fee increases in place, water would be $2.30 per 100 cubic feet and $294 per year. Sewer would be $3.85 per 100 cubic year and $490 per year.
“We’ve been kind of watching the revenue stream as it comes in and realized it’s not matching what we need,” he said.
If the Board of Public Works votes in the raised rates Wednesday, they would take effect July 1. Pipczynski said it could bring in an additional $360,000 and guarantee there would be no layoffs.
“In my opinion, if the rates aren’t raised to this minimum level, staffing would be severely affected,” he said, which would leave too few workers to keep the city’s services in compliance with state and federal regulations.
“If 150, 200 people show up (at the hearing) and they say, ‘We don’t really care about any fines coming from (the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection), we don’t want our water rates raised,’ I suppose the board could take it into consideration,” he said. But the board has a responsibility to ensure compliance, he said.
Northampton increased its rates earlier this month to $4.95 for water services and $5.30 for sewer.
Amherst recently increased its sewer rates, as well. Starting July 1, the town will charge $3.35 per 100 cubic feet of sewer while water rates will remain at $3.30 per 100 cubic feet.