LIVERMORE FALLS — Residents were not shy about expressing their feelings at Monday’s public hearing about a proposed water rate increase by the Livermore Falls Water District.

In most cases, customers will see an increase of about 50 percent, Chris Woodcock, a consultant for the Water District, said.

“We’re required to give you notice of the proposal,” said Jerry Crouter, an attorney representing the Water District. “They’re not the final rates.”

For 2017, the projected cost of water service is $1.16 million. The Water District, which has about 1,500 residential and commercial users, has $832,453 available, which means it needs $325,252 to cover expenses, Crouter said.

He noted that the Maine Public Utilities Commission would make the final decision in setting the rate.

Crouter noted that the Water District hadn’t had a rate increase since January 2002. Since then, revenues have decreased and expenses increased.

Some of the customers served by the Water District live in Jay.

Jay resident Cindy Bennett asked Water District trustees why a rate increase wasn’t done sooner.

“I’m a retired person. There should have been small increases,” she said.

Woodcock explained that not everybody would be facing the same increase.

“What we try to do is group classes of customers with similar uses,” he said.

For users paying the minimum fee of $46.14 per quarter for water usage, the rate would jump to $80.92, a roughly a 75 percent increase.

“Seventy-five percent is way too high,” Livermore Falls resident Marilyn McDonald said.

In most cases, customers will see an increase of about 50 percent from their current bills, Woodcock said.

“Right now, Livermore Falls has a rate structure where there’s a huge difference between the highest and lowest rate,” he said.

Under the proposed increase, larger users would pay more. The idea, said Woodcock, is to make the rate structure such that smaller users aren’t subsidizing larger consumers of water.

Livermore Falls resident Jeffrey Roy suggested a water tax, in which every taxpayer in Livermore Falls would pay into the system.

Part of the problem, Woodcock said, is that the system was built for much larger customer use. Since the last rate increase in 2002, the Otis Mill closed and other businesses left town, leaving residents with a higher percentage of the bill.

Several residents noted that the rate increase proposed was not a good precedent to set and could end up discouraging businesses from coming to town.

Arin Quintal of Livermore Falls said she would look at innovative ways to collect water for her own use instead of suffering the rate increase to use town water.

However, Livermore Falls resident Clayton Putnam defended the board of trustees and said the town’s water quality was excellent, meeting all quality control standards.

“I think you’ve done a really commendable job not raising rates in 15 years,” he said.

Residents who wish to comment on the proposal or have questions can contact the Maine Office of the Public Advocate at 624-3687, by email at opa@maine.gov, or go to http://www.maine.gov/meopa/puc/

bmatulaitis@sunmediagroup.net

Left to right: Livermore Falls Water District Trustees Mike Castaneda, Daniel Leclerc, Margaret LeClerc and Water District consultant Chris Woodcock looks on as Water District attorney Jerry Crouter explains the numbers behind a proposed rate increase during Monday’s public hearing. (Barry Matulaitis/Sun Journal)