Burlington Selectmen Approve Water/Sewer Rate Hikes Over 3 Years

BURLINGTON, MA — Burlington water/sewer rates will increase over the next three years years, after the selectmen approved changes at their Nov. 30 meeting.

Combined rates will increase about 5 percent per year, for a cumulative 17 percent increase from Fiscal Year 2021 to Fiscal Year 2024. Water rates will increase 6.8 percent annually and sewer rates will increase 4 percent annually.

"The need for rate increases is directly related to funding the newly created Water Stabilization Fund to cover expenses related to the Town joining the MWRA," Public Works Director John Sanchez said in a memo to the town administrator. "The new rates goal is to create new water revenue in the amount of $3,200,000 in 10 years."

The new rates will be effective in July, 2021.

"The minimum bill which affects 36 percent of residential water customers would increase from $181 to $190.76 per year," Sanchez wrote of the FY 2022 rate. "Burlington’s average user bill (61,000 gallons per year) would increase from $369.72 to $388.58 per year. (62 percent of residential customers use less than 60,000 gallons per year)."

In FY 2024, the minimum bill will be $212.

The selectmen also approved the creation of a $200 fee for hydrant flow tests, a necessary step in most commercial building.

The Water Resources Commission included some conditions in its recent approval of Burlington's request to join the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. Among them: the irrigation billing frequency will increase from annual to semi-annual, while residential billing frequency will eventually increase to quarterly, from semi-annual.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.