Town seeks to increase water and sewer fees

WINSTED — Residents will have a chance to comment on the town’s proposal to raise its base rate for water and sewer services $60 over the next three years at a special meeting this Monday, Aug. 16, beginning at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.

The Water & Sewer Commission is looking to increase its base rate for water and sewer services $20 a year for each of the next three years. That would result in a total increase of $60 at the end of the three-year time period.

The rate increase will draw in additional revenue to help the water and sewer departments offset their increasing operational and maintenance costs, as well as meet the increased usage demand on its systems.

Before the commission can vote to approve the proposed increase, however, it is required to hold a public hearing to allow residents to comment on the rate hike.

Commission members are expected to vote on the proposed increase immediately following Monday night’s public hearing.

There are two types of fees that make up the water and sewer bills the town sends out on a quarterly basis to its customers: a base rate and a usage rate.

The usage rate is, as its name suggests, based on the level of services a home or business uses over a three-month period. Customers are charged $2.47 for each 100 cubic yards of water they draw in and $2.02 for each 100 cubic yards of sewage they dispense. If a water customer uses more than 20,000 cubic feet of water in one quarter, however, they are then charged $2.47 for each additional 100 cubic feet over that 20,000 mark.

Winsted’s water and sewer base rates are flat fees that are charged to customers regardless of usage. These fees are based on the size of the meters used to measure water input and sewage output. The most common sizes used  are 5/8-inch and 3/4-inch.

Currently, customers using a 5/8-inch meter are charged a base rate of $64 a quarter for water and $35 a quarter for sewer. Those with a 3/4-inch meter are charged a quarterly base rate of $79 for water and $35 for sewer.

If the commission approves the proposal next week, each of those base rate charges would increase by $20 a year for each of the next three years.