In Newport Center: Doubled water rates lead to fractious meeting

copyright the Chronicle January 13, 2016

by Nathalie Gagnon-Joseph

NEWPORT CENTER — The 25 or so people who came to the select board meeting here on Thursday, January 7, were looking for answers as to why their water bill doubled in November.

They left the fractious meeting with a newly formed water committee and an approved $171,366 water budget for 2016, up nearly $13,450 from this year’s $157,922 budget.

Part of that increase includes a new capital reserve fund of $11,255. It’s the first time the water department will set money aside, select board Chair Steve Barrup said.

The budget also includes $44,912 for engineering fees, which are expected to be reimbursed through state grants.

Water users became concerned after the select board doubled water rates in November. The price tag for water jumped from $120 per quarter per household to $240.

That increase was needed… To read the rest of this article, and all the Chronicle‘s stories, subscribe:

Print subscription

Annual online subscription

Short-term online subscription

(To find a particular article, search for the corresponding edition of the newspaper.)