NORTHFIELD — Residents can expect lower sewer bills starting in January, thanks to a change in the classification system used by the Board of Sewer Commissioners.
Chelsey Little, superintendent and chief operator at the wastewater treatment plant, explained that the plant used to receive water usage information — measured in cubic feet — for each customer and set the rates based on that. However, the new measurements take into account if the property is a house, apartment or a larger entity, such as a restaurant, Thomas Aquinas College or The Moody Center.
“The idea behind it is to take some burden off residents,” Alex Meisner, a member of the Board of Sewer Commissioners, said of the new classification system.
The revenue lost by charging residents less will be made up by charging larger entities, like the college, a greater fee, Meisner explained, noting that the Board of Sewer Commissioners’ budget is remaining close to the same.
Likewise, restaurant rates can account for the number of customers seats, and laundromat rates can be based on the number of washers.
The change was investigated after past public hearings saw many residents voice concerns with the sewer bill rate. The Board of Sewer Commissioners is the entity that develops the annual budget and sets the sewer rate each year, as well as oversees the wastewater treatment plant and collection system.
As sewer rates are going up in towns all over the place, Little said, this change helps different entities to share the weight appropriately. Through research, Little said she discovered that other towns use this system.
As an example, Little said, if “one unit” is equivalent to a single-family household, an apartment rate would be 75 percent of that. There are a number of single-family homes that have been charged $1,000 to $1,500 per year in sewer bills, she said.
“Residents should be seeing a significant cut in their bill,” Meisner noted.
Little said a resident who would have paid $1,300 may now see a bill as low as $641, around a 40 percent decrease. There is also a rate cap of $8,000 per year, no matter the size of the entity.
The board is also looking into starting a bill assistance program, Meisner said. There would be eligibility requirements to confirm a customer’s level of need, and the program would be confidential.
Reach Zack DeLuca at 413-772-0261, ext. 264 or zdeluca@recorder.com.