Danvers Electric, Water, Sewer Rates To Rise Effective July 1

DANVERS, MA — Electric, water and sewer rates are all on the rise in Danvers, effective this week.

Danvers officials said the "modest" rate increases were necessary to "ensure the continued delivery of reliable, high-quality utility services to the Danvers community while addressing increased operational and infrastructure costs."

At its June 25 meeting, the Municipal Light Board approved a 5.5 percent increase to the average residential electric bill. Officials said that will amount to about a $6 increase per month for the average customer using 750 kWh per month.

"Like many utilities across the region, we are seeing continued increases in the cost of transmitting power and purchasing energy," Electric Utility Director Clint Allen said. "To ensure we can continue delivering reliable service to our residents and customers, we need to implement a modest rate adjustment.

"We understand that any increase matters to our community, and we remain committed to keeping rates as stable and affordable as possible."

Residents will see the new rates on their July electric bills.

The Water & Sewer Commissioners held a public hearing and then approved rate changes based on recommendations from town staff.

Water rates will increase by 1.5 percent, and sewer rates by 2.5 percent. The average family using 12,000 cubic feet of water per year will see an increase by approximately $10.52 or 1.93 percent.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)