Story · Water & Sewer District
Water and sewer rates
A public hearing will be held on Wednesday, November 18, 2026, at 4:30 PM at the Ray P. Buxton, Jr. Building, Main Street. The District Commissioners will talk about water and sewer rates and commercial unit rates.
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Wed, Nov 18
Public hearing on water and sewer rates. A public hearing will be held on Wednesday, November 18, 2026, at 4:30 PM at the Ray P. Buxton, Jr. Building, Main Street. The District Commissioners will talk about water and sewer rates and commercial unit rates.
How it happened
Feb 11 · AgendaFirst mention
Listed as a future task: review and update IPP fees each year so they cover engineering costs.
Mar 2 · Minutes
Waterworth software program
Mar 2 · MinutesDecided
The commissioners agreed to a base sewer rate increase from $94 to $125. The systems operator said the district has 7,500 linear feet of 6 to 8 inch sewer lines. He said $125 would pay to clean the lines over five years and replace manhole covers. The commissioners agreed to use the Waterworth software (a rate and infrastructure planning tool) for the water side only. There will be separate water and sewer budgets and new water account numbers. The operator's pay split will change from 90% sewer and 10% water to 71% sewer and 29% water. The commissioners will hold a budget work session on March 9 at 4:00 PM at the district office. The treasurer must place public hearing notices in the newspaper by March 23. Another work session is set for March 16 at 8:00 AM.
Commissioners agreed to the sewer base increase from $94 to $125 and to use Waterworth for water only. No vote count recorded.
Mar 2 · Minutes
The commissioners discussed how commercial properties are billed by units for the water tank and blending facility bonds. There is no set formula, and it may be based on square footage. The systems operator suggested having the engineers create a sensible formula so billing can be done properly.
Apr 23 · Minutes
The commissioners listed the water connection fee as an item to act on at the April 23, 2026 meeting. A connection fee is a charge to hook a property up to the district's water system.
Apr 23 · Minutes
The commissioners listed the sewer connection fee as an item to act on at the April 23, 2026 meeting. A connection fee is a charge to hook a property up to the district's sewer system.
May 4 · Minutes
The Commissioners discussed holding a public hearing to raise water rates, with new rates to appear on the July 2026 bills. They agreed the bond amount should be built into the rates, not billed as a separate charge like the water tower and blending facility bonds. A commissioner suggested also discussing connection fee increases at the hearing. No hearing date was given.
May 4 · Agenda
The board is to review water and sewer connection applications. At the April 23 work session, the commissioners discussed fees. The water fees are $100 for the meter, $85 for inspection and $520 for connection. The sewer fee is $1,950 per bedroom plus an $85 inspection fee. The commissioners said experts in impact fees (charges to cover the cost a new connection puts on the system) should review the $520 water connection charge. A commissioner suggested asking Waterworth, the district's asset and finance software provider, to help work out a connection fee. The chair will email them. A new sewer application form was prepared with the updated fees. At the April 6 meeting, a resident who asked about connecting to water and sewer was told she was on the May agenda. The district's operator and another person were to inspect the site on April 10 and review an easement (a legal right to use part of a property).
May 19 · Minutes
A representative of Underwood Engineering asked if the district needed help with rate setting. The chair said the district uses the WaterWorth program and should be all set with setting the rates.
May 19 · Minutes
A commissioner estimated the district needs about $172,000 from rate revenue to support its budget. The billing program allows tiered rates (different prices at different amounts of use). There is no minimum water fee for being connected and no special rate for municipal buildings. The meter fee goes from $15.00 to $25.00 per quarter, and the 10,000-gallon base will end. Sewer will be charged for each gallon treated. The water base rate will be $25.00. Units for commercial properties were also discussed.
May 19 · Minutes
The commissioners discussed whether to keep the bond payment separate from the rate or include it. The blending facility bond charge ($51.00) and the water tower bond charge ($33.00) are separate and not in the rate. The two current bond fees will stay separate. The commissioners will decide later whether to include the $2.9M bond fee in the rates or keep it separate.
May 19 · Minutes
The town hall and fire department are not charged for water for 10 years as payment for the 75 Main Street building. The district will start charging the town in October 2032.
May 19 · Minutes
A commissioner researched connection and investment fees in nearby towns. He said Dover has a good example.
Jun 8 · MinutesDecided
The 7:00 PM public hearing was on changing the Rules & Regulations for water and sewer connection fees and on rate increases. No members of the public attended. A commissioner presented the proposed increases. The commissioners noted service costs have risen while rates have stayed the same since 2022, and they agreed the increase is needed to keep the District able to pay its bills. They noted the District's elected officials also pay the rates. The same commissioner will work with the office administrator on the regulation changes and on updating rates in the billing system. The commissioners agreed to rename 'meter rate fees' as 'service rate fees'. The chair closed the hearing at 8:00 PM without public comment.
Votes on the fees and rates were taken during the hearing (see items 2 and 3).
Jun 8 · MinutesDecided
A commissioner moved to approve new service rate fees: $25.00 for a 3/4-inch meter; $35.00 for a 1-inch meter; $40.00 for a 1.5-inch meter; $60.00 for a 2-inch meter; $120.00 for a school's second meter ($60.00 x 2); $9,900 per year for the IPP rate; $1,196.00 per quarter for hydrants; and $12.50 for the senior rate. The minutes say the meter fees include sewer-only customers who have private wells.
Approved 3-0.
Jun 8 · MinutesDecided
The $94.00 sewer base rate, which covered up to 10,000 gallons of water, is removed. A commissioner said it was unfair to customers who use less than 10,000 gallons per quarter. A new $25.00 service fee per dwelling will pay for upkeep of the collection system, including manholes and lines. The new sewer rate is $18.88 per 1,000 gallons. The minutes list Hutchinson Sealing Company, Coed Sportswear, and Conner Bottling Works as the top water users. The motion approved the rate changes in the attached rate sheet.
Approved 3-0.
Jun 8 · Agenda
On June 8, 2026, at 7:00 PM, the District Commissioners will hold a public hearing at the Ray P. Buxton, Jr. Building, Main Street. They will discuss changes to the district's Rules and Regulations that would raise connection fees (the charges to hook a property up to the water or sewer system). They will also discuss raising water and sewer rates.
Jun 16 · MinutesDecided
At the June 16, 2026 work session, the commissioners made corrections to the draft water and sewer rate sheet. A staff member will ask the support team at El Dorado, the district's billing software company, to enter the new rates.
Corrections were made to the draft rate sheet. No vote count given.
Jun 16 · Agenda
The district will review updated water and sewer rates to put into the billing system.
Aug 4 · Minutes
A sewer-only ratepayer said his bill rose a lot and that he seemed to have had the elderly exemption before. The chair said the district's elderly exemption requires getting the town's elderly tax exemption, and the treasurer confirmed he does not receive it. He was also told sewer rates went up in June. Another resident asked about her water and sewer bill increase. Commissioners said rates rose because of higher repair and maintenance costs, a budget deficit from the prior year, and no rate increases since 2022. She said she found nothing on the website or in the minutes about the increase. A commissioner said a budget analysis was posted on the website before the public hearing, and the hearing was posted in the newspaper, post office, town hall and website. It was decided to put an explanation of the rate increase in the library's quarterly newsletter.
Nov 5 · Agenda
The district will hold a public hearing on sewer rates for commercial property on Thursday, November 5, 2026, at 5:30 PM at the Ray P. Buxton Jr. Building, Main Street, Newfields. The meeting starts at 5:30 PM, and the hearing is the second item on the agenda.
Nov 5 · Agenda
The commissioners will discuss an extra (supplemental) sewer bill for commercial accounts and a correction to the commercial sewer rate.
Nov 5 · Agenda
The commissioners will discuss the "unit" formula used for commercial accounts and accounts with more than one unit.
Nov 18 · Agenda
A public hearing will be held on Wednesday, November 18, 2026, at 4:30 PM at the Ray P. Buxton, Jr. Building, Main Street. The District Commissioners will talk about water and sewer rates and commercial unit rates.