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Date: 9/28/2022
LONGMEADOW – The Longmeadow Select Board approved a new sewer rate structure presented by Vice Chair Mark Gold at its Sept. 19 meeting.
Until now, residents have been charged for sewer usage based on the amount of water used – the general principle being that the water that comes into the house leaves through drains and is treated as sewer. There is a 220-unit cap in place, after which no more sewer usage will be charged in a single fiscal year. This model does not consider the water that is used to irrigate lawns, grow gardens and wash cars in the warm weather months. That water does not go through the sewer system.
The plan, developed by Gold and Department of Public Works Business Manager Lisa Okscin, would continue to issue quarterly bills, and cap a residence’s sewer bill once the meter reaches 55 units – one unit is calculated as 100 cubic feet or approximately 748 gallons of water – in each of the two quarters between April and September. The remaining two quarters of the month would have no cap.
This structure assumes that, during warm weather months, people use an average of 55 units of water inside their homes, which exits the home through the sewer system. Any water used above that is assumed to be outdoor water usage. Water used during the colder weather months is assumed to be all indoor usage.
“There are very few losers in this thing,” Gold said referring to the proposed plan.
Because the first quarter of the current fiscal year has passed, if the town were to implement this model of sewer calculations, it would need to refund any sewer charges over 55 units for the 1,303 accounts that exceeded 55 units during that time. This would result in a one-time deduction of $128,460.75 from the Sewer Retained Earnings account, which has a balance of $757,000.
Under this plan, the sewer rate would increase from the $2.75 previously set for fiscal year 2023 (FY23) to $3.26, as fewer units of usage results in a higher cost per unit to reach the amount the town is charged to have its sewage processed at the Bondi’s Island Wastewater Treatment Plant in Agawam.
Select Board Chair Josh Levine said he was hesitant to enact the plan now with the resulting deduction from the Sewer Retained Earnings account, whereas if the plan went into effect in FY24, there would be no deduction.
“It’s not overly complicated. It can be done. I think it fulfills a promise that we’d implement something in 2023,” Gold said.
This proposed sewer rate structure was created after MUNIS, the company that the town uses to monitor usage and generates bills, explained to the Select Board that it could not implement the five-month winter averaging system that Gold had previously proposed. Under the five-month winter averaging plan previously considered, the rate would have increased to $5.70.
Gold said that the proposed plan was not a “perfect solution,” but the town should implement it and review the results in three years.
After the discussion, the board approved the changes to the sewer rate structure and the refund.
On a related topic, Select Board Clerk Dan Zwirko said that in the coming months, he would like to see the town address water and sewer infrastructure as well as the quality of the town’s potable water. Residents have come to him with concerns about chemicals in the water, he said.
EV charging stations
At a previous meeting, the Select Board had set the rate for the town’s electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at $8 per hour, based on the cost of the electricity from the utility and information provided by Deputy Town Manager Corrin Meise-Munns. Despite this, resident Peter Zimmer spoke to the board expressing concerns that the price was too high.
Zimmer, who drives a Hyundai Kona electric vehicle, said he was “astounded” by the price point. He said $8 for 22 miles worth of electricity is four to five times higher than elsewhere. He encouraged the town to consider making it free, as it is in Northampton and parts of Connecticut.
Zimmer also took issue with the placement of an EV charger at the Department of Public Works and said they should be placed near amenities such as restaurants and shopping, so people have something to do while charging.
Levine commented that even when gas was $4 per gallon, he never paid more than 20 cents per mile.
“As is, no one will ever use these. We won’t get an idea of the demand in town,” he said. He pointed to Easthampton’s model of 25 cents per kWh and hourly after the vehicle is fully charged to encourage people to move and free up space for others. He said that would work out to $3.20 per hour and suggested $5 per hour after a full charge.
Gold disagreed and said residents have reached out to him against the town subsidizing the cost to EV owners. He said it was “fraught with concerns,” and that EV owners should install chargers in their homes. He also said they should not change the pricing until they have a few months of data on whether the chargers are being used.
“We have a tight budget, there’s no doubt about that, but we have another goal, at the Town Meeting this year, to have a green focus in our decision making,” Levine said.
Zwirko agreed, “We have to look at the bigger picture and be a leader on this.” He called the current price, “outrageous.”
Gold asked to hear from more residents on the issue and said subsidizing the chargers should be a townwide decision.
Unexpected expense
Simmons told the board that an air handler in the north mechanical room of Longmeadow High School must be replaced. If the air handlers fail, the school will need to be closed.
The issue had been identified and the $345,000 was included in the capital needs funded at the 2021 Annual Town Meeting. Subsequently, it was decided that the replacement, the price of which had increased to $420,000 due to economic pressures, could be completed using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. Simmons said that bids for the work grossly exceeded the estimates, with the “most responsive” bid coming in at $718,000. Rather than ARPA funds replacing town appropriated money, both sources as well as additional funding will need to be used to cover the project. The town will request the extra money from voters at the Oct. 25 Town Meeting.
Other topics
After interviewing several candidates for the East Longmeadow High School Building Committee and voting for their top picks, the Select Board chose David McGrane and Christopher LeGiadre. Gold noted that McGrane’s profession as a project manager was a benefit to the committee. Meanwhile, Zwirko said he was impressed with the relationship LeGiadre had already built in town and that he was well-researched.
Levine brought up the topic of a proposed “Amazon” warehouse under consideration by the East Longmeadow Planning Board. The project applicants, East Longmeadow Redevelopers LLC have stated that the warehouse is being built “on spec,” rather than for any one business, and that no tenants have been lined up for any of the four warehouse spaces that the building could accommodate.
The warehouse, planned for 330 Chestnut St., would be less than a mile from the Longmeadow town line.
Levine expressed concern about trucks driving through Longmeadow on their way to and from the facility, but acknowledged, “I don’t know what recourse we have, if any.”