Officials Demanding Change from MDC

Though the Metropolitan District Commission agreed to drastically reduce the surcharge that non-member towns pay for their water in 2014, some politicians are saying it’s not enough.

The Planning and Development Commission, chaired by state Sen. Steve Cassano, who represents non-member towns of Manchester and Glastonbury, has authored a bill in hopes of changing how MDC fees are assessed and called for non-member towns to have representation on the quasi-governmental entity’s board of directors.

“The Planning and Development Committee has created a placeholder bill so we can have discussions with MDC officials in the coming weeks in advance of the new legislative session,” Cassano said in a release Wednesday. “We’re not having discussions to do nothing. I see this as a good first step, because—without question—we’re at this point because of the public outcry over the water rate increases and because of people showing up at the public hearings.”

Hundreds of people from the MDC’s non-member towns of Farmington, East Granby, Glastonbury, Manchester and South Windsor turned out to protest the rates, which increased by 200 percent in 2013 for some residents.

In addition, the Glastonbury Town Council is hoping to overturn the surcharge, which only non-member customers pay for to fund system improvements. The council is planning a meeting with state legislators and asking Attorney General George Jepsen for a possible injunction against the surcharges, the Hartford Courant reported.

Glastonbury makes up the largest number of customers in the non-member towns but other town officials, including Farmington and South Windsor, have also authored letters opposing the charges and asking for representation.

In 2013, the non-member town surcharge increased from $39 per quarter to $105.75, to be collected over five years. After the Nov. 13 meeting, the MDC board agreed to reduce the surcharge from $105.75 to $49.74 per quarter over 25 years, according to the MDC water rates release.

The MDC charter appears to have been written in 1929, with no substantial updates, Cassano said.