Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.

Residents vote in favor of refund

By Courtney Llewellyn

Reminder Assistant Editor



LONGMEADOW The controversy over unfair water and sewer rates has been ongoing since the new ascending rates were implemented last July. Two of the town's most vocal opponents of this rate structure were at the Special Town Meeting, last Tuesday evening, to support an article about sewer rates on the warrant.

Susan Altman approached the microphone in the high school gymnasium on March 4 and congratulated the residents of Longmeadow for their work over the past seven months. "It's been a long, hard struggle to reduce and reverse these rates," she told those assembled at the meeting, "but we did it."

Kurt Freedman had a similarly uplifting message. "I'm thankful for due process," he said. "We have all felt our emotions hydraulically tested ... and I want to thank the community and those who exercised their free speech and the Select Board for their hard work." He finished his short, prepared speech by announcing he supported the motion on the warrant.

The motion, which was approved at the meeting, was to see if the town would appropriate an amount not to exceed $356,591 from the Sewer Retained Earnings Account in order to provide refunds for sewer bills issued between July 1, 2007 and Dec. 31, 2007.

Water refunds have already been approved.

Select Board Chair Hal Haberman presented the article to those at the meeting. "The Select Board has been dealing with this issue for the past several months," he said. "We've been trying to find fair solutions. The rates didn't work for Longmeadow. Hopefully, everyone will agree on the new rates."

The new rates present a flat 28 percent increase for all town residents, which Altman said she thinks is all right. She said the ascending rates "made no sense."

"We didn't expect anyone to be opposed to the article," Town Manager Robin Crosbie said. "Everyone seemed happy about the meeting." She continued that the next step in the refund process was having the Select Board vote on how the money would be distributed at their next meeting, on March 17.

Paul Pasterczyk, dinance director for the town of Longmeadow, said the finance department is currently working on water refunds and expects them to be sent out to residents who earned the refunds sometime in the next two weeks.

"Right after we're done with that, we'll begin work on the sewer refunds," Pasterczyk said. He estimated those refunds to go out some time in early April at the latest.

"I'm so excited [the sewer refunds were approved]," Altman told Reminder Publications. "It's been a long struggle. We started collecting signatures in July to overturn these rates. We never stopped. They couldn't get rid of us."

Altman said the citizens were the force behind this change and that their next step is to approve of a separately elected water and sewer board for the town at the Annual Town Meeting on April 29. The Select Board currently serves as Longmeadow's water and sewer board.