SEYMOUR — Residents hooked into the town’s sewer system could see their annual bills rise by about $24.
A public hearing to discuss a proposed sewer use increase from $5.56 per 100-cubic feet to $6.11 is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday (Aug. 2) at Town Hall.
The Water Pollution Control Authority will meet immediately after to cast a vote.
The reason behind the proposed hike is to help with upkeep of the WPCA plant.
First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis said the rates are increasing “to help with the much-needed maintenance and to help keep the plant running and in compliance with all federal and state laws and regulations. For many years the (WPCA) board worked to keep rate increases to a minimum, with a few years not raising them at all. This has resulted in maintenance and repairs being deferred which are now coming home to roost and must be addressed.”
Drugonis said the WPCA, which is independent of the town, and run by a private company the town contracts with, Veolia Water.
The WPCA sets the rates, not the Board of Selectmen or Board of Finance.
“The town has no say in their rates, their fees or their budget,” Drugonis said. “The town can’t touch their money as they are protected under the Clean Water Act. The only thing the town has certain control over are the buildings and vehicles used by the WPCA, because they are town assets. The building itself needs maintenance and certain vehicles need to be replaced.”
WPCA member Stephan Behuniak was appointed to the WPCA, along with fellow Selectmen Rob VanEgghen and Bob Findley, back in March. Behuniak said it was quickly realized that the WPCA’s annual budget had been “massively underfunded” for many years, particularly on the maintenance and capital improvements side.
“The first problem was that the line item (in the annual budget) to perform routine maintenance was only being funded at 40 percent of the amount that was needed just to keep the plant in the state that it is today,” Behuniak added. “This means that year over year we are seeing the plant fall into a further state of disrepair. To address this, we committed to fully funding the maintenance line item, a budgeted increase of $150,000 per year.”
Behuniak explained the second, and bigger issue, was the board never established a Capital Improvement Plan.
“This means that while we are behind on our maintenance, we are also woefully behind on making improvements to important equipment and the facility itself,” he added. “To give some context, the WPCA currently owns four vehicles, the newest of which is over 10 years old, the oldest is over 30.”
The WPCA’s approved budget for 2021 – 2022, with the Capital Plan, is $2.6 million.
Behuniak said, simply put, the proposed hike needs to happen.
“The board is in unanimous agreement that this year’s increase is completely necessary, is a good start towards addressing the issues we’re facing and is a responsible amount that will not place unnecessary burden on the rate payers,” he said. “Nobody is excited to increase rates, but the alternative is far worse. You do not have to look far to see communities where ratepayers are now bearing the burden of decades of neglect. We are doing what needs to be done to responsibly modernize our infrastructure and ensure the long-term viability of our water treatment facilities. People are not getting rich off of this increase and it is absolutely not frivolous.”
In Seymour, the majority of sewer users are billed $134 semi-annually, and the proposed rate increase would see those bills rise to $146, according to Behuniak.
“The total increase for the average homeowner connected to sewer would be $24 per year,” Behuniak said, adding the fall bills would reflect the new rate.
Behuniak encouraged residents to attend Monday’s hearing.
“Residents are always encouraged to participate in these hearings and their thoughts will always be considered,” Behuniak said. “With that said, I believe that any rational person, presented with all of the information, will agree that this is close to the bare minimum that we can do to responsibly fund our water treatment in Seymour at this time.”
The Seymour Board of Selectmen clashed with the WPCA over management in 2020.
