Peterborough businesses and homeowners will see changes in their water and sewer bills on Oct. 1.
The Peterborough Select Board unanimously approved, on Tuesday, a new rate structure for water and sewer payments, new water and sewer rates, and an annual review of the information proposed by the Utility Rate Task Force.
The Utility Rate Task Force was formed at the select board’s request in June, prompted by concerns raised by business owners in the town. Throughout August, the volunteer group met to find a new, more equitable plan for billing residents and businesses for their water and sewer use.
“I don’t think we really planned this because the people who volunteered volunteered, but it turned out when you look at the full range of people that volunteered, they represented the whole spectrum. Everything from the very lowest rate to pretty much the highest rate,” Select Board Member Bonnie Tucker said.
The group concluded that there needed to be a fixed cost for water and sewer access based on meter size, a single variable rate for all accounts (removing the tier system), and no consumer allowance, meaning all users pay the variable rate starting from the first cubic foot used.
According to the presentation, the group reached this conclusion to ensure revenues meet expenditures, ensure fairness for all water users, and consider the importance of conservation and economic development.
By sourcing the town’s target revenues, considering the water and sewer enterprise fund balances, and comparing them to the previous rate model, the task force unanimously supported the proposed rate structure presented on Tuesday.
Members of the task force also ran their own water and sewer bills through the new structure and rate setup to ensure the numbers lined up.
To create a fixed cost based on meter size, the group applied a multiplier to the meter size. The same multipliers are used in Keene and Bow.
Currently, quarterly water bills include the meter fee, allow a 300-cubic-foot consumer allowance, and increase at a tiered rate.
The task force recommended increasing the meter fee based on the multiplier, removing the consumer allowance, decreasing the payment to 6.497 cents per cubic foot, and removing the tier rates.
A cubic foot equals approximately 7.5 gallons of water.
The model predictions show the outcomes for a dry year, an average year, and the town’s overall target revenue.
The proposal for the sewer rates follows a similar structure, with the quarterly meter fee multiplied based on size and the consumer allowance and tier rating removed, resulting in a payment of 8.743 cents per cubic foot.
According to the revenue model predictions, the average income exceeds the town’s target.
“If you’re very into conserving water and you barely use any, this policy would work well for you,” Kate Taylor, a member of the task force, said.
With this model, the payment outcomes for households differ from those for businesses. If a household uses all 300 cubic feet, then their bill will increase, but Ed Walker, a member of the task force, pointed out that not all residents use the maximum amount.
“For the bigger consumers, essentially like restaurants and businesses and the hospital, their bills are going to go down significantly,” Taylor said.
Finally, the task force requested that the select board review the water and sewer rates and fund balances annually to make adjustments and compare revenues.
Businesses and homeowners will see the impact of this new rate on their next water and sewer bills on October 1.
South Well public hearing
NHBB formally offered to buy the contaminated well site in a letter to the town on June 18. Since then, the planning board, conservation commission, and heritage commission have all recommended the sale.
In partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services since 1982, when the contamination was first noticed, NHBB has worked to contain and clean up pollution in the soil, wetlands, and groundwater on the manufacturing plant property and at the South Well across the street.
Now, NHBB has requested to purchase the site for $110,000, subject to a list of conditions.
The town has clarified that NHBB referenced the correct parcel of land, which is assessed at $67,100. According to Town Administrator Nicole MacStay, this does not change the deal.
If the Peterborough Select Board accepts, the town will set aside the claims and obligations against NHBB, including the town’s inability to use the property or groundwater within the Groundwater Protection Zone for drinking water, the shortage of accessible drinking water from the area, and the lost revenue from drinking water or other purposes from the property for customers of Peterborough’s municipal wells.
In addition, the town will commit to not pump any water from the site for 99 years.
Once NHBB owns the property, the site will be subject to a conservation restriction, and the town will collect property taxes. NHBB will continue to work with the EPA and NHDES to clean up the site.
Peterborough resident Loretta Laurenitis asked clarifying questions during the brief public hearing.
In response to questions about continuing remediation on the site after the purchase, Nicholas Casolaro, in-house attorney for NHBB, explained, “We’re actually not just committed. We’re required. We have an order that requires us to remediate and to do the things that the EPA and the state of New Hampshire require us to do.”
MacStay said NHBB plans to fully shut down the site to ensure that any pumping ceases, which means the polluted plume will not move or expand.
“To ensure the perpetual integrity of the barrier, NHBB would like to purchase the South well, fully decommission it, and ensure that there is no more municipal withdrawal of groundwater,” she said.
The next public hearing will be hosted at the select board meeting on Sept. 15, and the board will vote on whether to sell the site on Sept. 22.
Treasurer appointed
On Aug. 31, Mandy Sliver officially resigned as Peterborough Treasurer after taking a new full-time job out of town.
“It has been a privilege to serve the Town of Peterborough and its residents as Treasurer. I am grateful for the trust the voters placed in me and for the opportunity to work alongside Town staff, the Select Board, and others who take such care in stewarding the Town’s financial resources,” Sliver’s resignation letter reads.
In her place, Deputy Treasurer Leslie Lewis has stepped up as the Peterborough Treasurer.
The board also unanimously approved the appointment of Paul Noce, a member of the Budget Committee, as Deputy Treasurer.
Both will serve in these roles until the election in May.