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Millis/Medway - Local Town Pages

Medway FY23 water rates increase, sewer rates stay the same Water rates increase $150 to $450 per household

By Caroline Gordon
The Medway Select Board discussed water and sewer rates during a meeting on June 22: Sewer rates will stay the same but water rates will increase. 
Director of Medway Public Works Department Pete Pelletier said the projected FY23 water and sewer rates are similar to the rates estimated last year, as there is a 12.9 percent projected increase. 
“The sewer rates will stay the same and we’re projecting the same kind of revenue and retained earnings we have done in the past,” Pelletier said.  
Select Board Vice-chair Glenn Trindade said, “People will see this gradual increase to now reflect the dramatic improvements we are making to our water infrastructure…Eight, nine, or ten years ago, there was a major upgrade made to the plant and we did have an increase at that time. On the water side, it’s the exact opposite as we just started construction of the new water treatment facility.” 
Select Board Chair Dennis Crowley said the construction of the water treatment plant is $30 million. The town has received $5 million in grants, and Medway’s 3,760 water users will pay the remaining $25 million over the span of 30 years. 
Crowley said, “Quite frankly, there wasn’t much we could do about not building a water treatment plant. We were getting ourselves in a position that if we didn’t do it, the state was going to force us to have to do it.” 
Residents can expect to see an increase between $150 and $450 in their annual water bill. 
Select Board member Todd Allessandri asked if the rate increase reflects the increase in water users at the two large projects currently being built in town. 
Pelletier said, “Not entirely, but the idea is that we are anticipating those numbers are going to be higher because of those buildings, especially 39 Main Street, so that’s going to help us with our retained earnings.”