NORTHAMPTON — A year after public outcry led the mayor to hold off on making any changes to Northampton’s water and sewer rates, city residents and business owners can expect to see a completely revised fee structure take effect in July.
The City Council voted 8-1 Thursday night to approve the proposed rates, part of a new structure that includes significant increases in fixed fees and distinguishes between smaller and larger consumers.
It’s difficult to generalize the impact this will have, as cost shifts will vary by user. The city has developed an online calculator where individuals can input their current bill information to get a sense of future charges. The typical residential user would see an overall increase of 77 cents per quarter, while the Fairfield Inn, for instance, would see an increase of $506.16 per quarter, according to data provided by the city.
At Thursday’s meeting, which followed two public hearings on the issue, several councilors praised Mayor David Narkewicz for what they characterized as a fair, research-driven approach to necessary changes. Ward 7 Councilor Alisa Klein called the new fees “absolutely reasonable,” while Ward 2 Councilor Dennis Bidwell said he found the proposal to have been “really thoughtfully developed.”
But At-large Councilor Jesse Adams voiced strong opposition to the new structure, saying it would hurt local businesses, particularly when considered alongside the city’s other fees.
“I think the proposed structure will disproportionately and negatively affect the business community,” Adams said, noting that the restaurants and bars that increasingly drive the local economy would likely bear the brunt of the fee increases.
Though he acknowledged the need for the city to raise revenue, Adams urged his fellow councilors to consider the cumulative costs of the various fees Northampton imposes, which he said are “becoming extravagant” and could discourage businesses from settling here — a topical issue at a time when several Main Street storefronts sit vacant.
The water and sewer fees are being raised to pay for significant infrastructure needs, including a $4 million water line replacement and $30 million in wastewater treatment plant improvements planned between 2017 and 2021.
To promote conservation, the system charges smaller users more if they surpass a certain amount — $4.73 per 100 cubic feet for the first 1,600 cubic feet, and $6.21 per 100 cubic feet for any use above that. Users with meters larger than 1 inch would face a single rate of $6.09 per 100 cubic feet.
Fixed quarterly fees will vary. For users with a five-eighths-inch meter, they would jump from $1 to $12.64. Users who receive real estate and Community Preservation Act tax exemptions would be exempt from these fixed fees.
This marks a change from the city’s current flat rate, which charges $5.58 per 100 cubic feet for water, along with relatively small fixed quarterly fees, and $6.08 per 100 cubic feet for sewer.
Under the new sewer rate structure, most users would be charged based on 80 percent of their metered water consumption at a rate of $7.52 per 100 cubic feet. Large industrial users with sewer meters would pay 100 percent of the sewer flow at the same rate.
Narkewicz emphasized that the proposed structure purposefully distinguishes between smaller and larger consumers, rather than residential and commercial users, as a way of acknowledging that many of the city’s businesses are quite small.
According to data provided by the city, Florence Pizza would see an increase of $24.03 per quarter, Cooper’s Corner would see an increase of $44.36 per quarter, and Northampton Brewery would see an increase of $290.08 per quarter.
Adams also said the council should take into account the lower water and sewer rates in many surrounding communities. The mayor responded by saying these rates need to be looked at in conjunction with commercial tax rates, and emphasized that every city and town has a unique water supply system.
During the public comment session, two residents argued against the new water and sewer rates.
Arnold Levinson, who owns Pine Street Cafe, reiterated an opinion he expressed in a letter to the editor last week, saying the increase in water and sewer fees would damage an already hurting business climate.
“Small businesses like mine are being suffocated by taxes and fees,” Levinson said in an interview earlier Thursday, though he said he had not yet calculated how his costs would change. “The average homeowner is also suffering under this onslaught.”
Wes Hardy, of 19 Marc Circle in Florence, said these proposed changes come after years of significant increases, noting that by his calculation the combined cost of sewer and water in Northampton rose 233 percent between 1997 and 2015, and he believes there is not a pressing need to overhaul the system.
“I don’t see the emergency, I don’t see an impending catastrophe,” he said, suggesting the council think about the potential effect on businesses in considering the new structure.
Ward 6 Councilor Marianne LaBarge questioned why more business owners had not come forward to oppose the new structure, and said she had heard just one complaint from a residential user, who she said ultimately concluded, “You know what? It’s not bad.”
Since this is the first time the City Council is weighing in on the rates — a task that previously fell to the Board of Public Works — its members have a “special responsibility” to be thoughtful and diligent, Council Vice President Ryan O’Donnell emphasized, saying that in his opinion the work put in by the mayor and consultants satisfies this obligation.
Consultants Chris Woodcock from Northborough Woodcock & Associates and Dave Fox of the Worcester office of Raftelis Financial Consultants, who have worked since last summer to analyze the city’s water and sewer rates and developed the new structure, attended Thursday’s meeting but were not asked any questions.
Adams suggested he might invoke a charter objection, which would have delayed the council’s first vote to its next meeting, but ultimately did not.
The council will take its second and final vote on the order at its next meeting, April 7.
Stephanie McFeteers can be reached at smcfeeters@gazettenet.com.