NORWAY – Sewer rates in Norway and Oxford will increase about 17 percent for the 2006-07 budget year. The hike will cover capital improvements and increasing electricity costs.

Selectmen here approved a $457,156 wastewater budget at their Thursday meeting. The budget, developed by Town Manager David Holt and Sewer Superintendent Shawn Brown, is $38,605 more than the 2005-06 budget, but less than the $500,000 actually spent in 2005-06.

The town spent over $10,000 more than it budgeted for electricity last year, which Holt said was due to a surge in use over the winter.

Selectman Les Flanders explained that splices in the treatment plant’s wiring were wearing through, causing the system to send electricity into the ground around the building. Because of the surge in use, the facility’s electrical bill went up for the remainder of the year.

The wiring problem has been fixed, and Holt said the town will look into appealing the higher rates. To keep other problems from happening, Holt and Brown budgeted $40,000 in capital improvements to the system.

The increased budget will create an increase of 35 percent to the use part of Norway sewer customer’s bill. Since usage is only part of the bill, the average increase will be closer to 17 percent. A flat rate of $25.41 per quarter pays the debt service on the system. Users pay $1.92 per 100 cubic feet of use in addition to the flat rate.

In the coming year, that rate will be $2.60. Brown calculated that a customer who uses 1,200 cubic feet per year will see their annual bill increase from $193.80 to $226.44.

Oxford also uses Norway’s sewer and wastewater systems. An Oxford customer’s rate is 1.4 times higher than a Norway customer’s, under the agreement between the towns.

In other business, selectmen scheduled a hearing to determine whether Aaron Fuda of McKay Road is in violation of the town’s disorderly house ordinance. Fuda hosts an annual festival at his residence. The hearing will be held on Sept. 7.

The disorderly house ordinance allows the town to take action against a homeowner if there are excessive police calls there in a specified period of time.