NEW SHARON — The New Sharon Water District will hold a public hearing Thursday on a proposed rate increase of $10.68 per month for minimum users.

The meeting takes place at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Town Office. The Board of Trustees may adopt or revise the rate increase based on the meeting.

The hearing will give customers a chance to voice their thoughts, Forrest Bonney, chairman of the board of trustees, said. Kirsten Hebert, Maine Rural Water executive director, will lead the meeting.

The Water District has proposed raising the current minimum rate of $25.49 to $36.17 per month, an approximately 42 percent increase, Mercy Hanson, treasurer, said. Rates for higher usage would also increase.

Minimum users are now paying $305.88 per year for water. That amount would go up to $434.04 if the rate increase is accepted.

With only 92 customers, the district is small, leaving little funding to cover maintenance and upgrades for the aging system.

“We’re overdue. We’ve been reluctant to increase the rate,” Bonney said. “We realize some customers have trouble paying their bills but there comes a point where (the water district) is barely able to pay our bills.”

The water district cannot set aside funds for any contingencies such as water leak repairs, he said.

A new well on Ditzler Intervale, past the town library, was built in 1990 and has served the district well, he said.

In the last town report, Bonney reported a 19 percent increase in water usage from 1992 to 2014. The well provided 6.9 million gallons in 1992 and 8.2 million gallons in 2014.

There are leaks trustees cannot pin down, Bonney said. The district is seeking a grant for a leak survey.

Some meters are not working and should be replaced. In some cases, the district is not able to bill at the appropriate level, he said. If the meter is not working, the customer is charged at the minimum rate regardless of the amount of water used.

The water district has filed the proposed rate increase with the Maine Public Utilities Commission.

According to the Maine PUC process, customers who disagree with the rate increase need to sign a petition requesting a PUC review and audit. A total of 10 percent of customers need to sign the petition, which is available at the Town Office, Hanson said. 

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