Water and sewer sets FY24 rates, fees

High-usage consumers will see increase

BY WILLIAM J. DOWD

Following a recent public hearing, the Marblehead Water and Sewer Commission has revealed new water and sewer rates for the fiscal year 2024.

The adjustments are designed to manage the debt from water and sewer loans, considering escalating capital project costs and an expanded approved budget.

The Commission’s twotier, conservation-minded rate system means customers consuming over 3,000 cubic

Schools

The goal is to identify ways to improve Marblehead’s special ed programs and keep more students in school here.

Fox outlined some of the information she’s looking for.

“Where are we losing students, how can we recoup them and what are the suggestions for improvements in our programs?

“The biggest point of volatility is out-of-district placements,”

Fox continued. “What can we do to keep these kids? It’s best for the students and it’s best for stabilizing our budget, which helps every student.”

In the FY 24 budget, outof-district placements and transportation total about $4.6 million for 49 students.

Buckey and Assistant Superintendent of Finance Michelle Cresta were tasked with identifying outside consulting groups to conduct the review, which will need to be put out to bid. Committee members hope to interview applicants in August.

Laid-off teachers

The committee did not vote to reinstate any of the 33 school positions cut when the override

Board

From P. A1 understand and review the governance, appointments, morale and effectiveness of our volunteer committees and boards appointed by the Select Board,” said Grader in a follow-up email. “I agree with the intent and objectives of such a review, but I do not agree with the means and the process by which my colleagues seek to do so.”

Grader believes placing all volunteers on hold until what he considers to be “an arbitrary date” will have several negative consequences.

“I believe the process is likely to create unnecessary procedural confusion across the many diverse committees with very different and often complex statutory mandates and, unless handled with diplomacy and deliberation, could potentially undermine legitimate prerogatives of the committee chairs, hinder committee functioning and damage the open spirit of inclusive volunteerism,” he said.

For Grader, Murray’s motion surprised him.

“I decided to vote in favor because I wanted to give my colleagues the benefit of the doubt, “said Grader. “I also support the general objectives of feet in a three-month billing period pay a higher rate for usage beyond that threshold. Additionally, a customer service charge is applied to offset fixed costs linked to metering, billing and fire services.

For water, the annual administrative charge will rise from $98 to $115, an extra $4.25 per quarter. While the lowusage rate remains at $6.80 per hundred cubic feet, the highusage rate will increase from $9.25 to $9.75.

In terms of sewer services, the annual administrative fee will escalate from $97 to $108, an additional $2.75 per quarter.

The rates for both low- and highusage remain unchanged at $11 per hundred cubic feet. These changes come after the May Town Meeting budget approval. It enables the Commission to adjust rates based on operation costs, maintenance, debt service, construction and charges for water and sewer treatment. Comprised of five elected members, the Commission is responsible for the operation of both the water distribution and the wastewater collection systems. All water is sourced from the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority, and wastewater is processed at the South Essex Sewerage District.

The Water Department budget for FY 24 jumps $334,372.69, totaling $5,818,713. This incorporates increases in MWRA charges, salary increments and other expenses. The Sewer Department Budget for FY 24 is projected to reach $5,224,655, an increase of $145,246.38, which includes rises in SESD charges,

Founders

From P. A1 my co-founders, I immediately gravitated towards the nonprofit model. As veteran journalists, we all believe that failed last month. At its June meeting, the committee asked Buckey to have principals and directors come up with a prioritized list of which cut positions could be rehired first.

The school leaders looked at several criteria when coming up with the list, including the impact on: staff and student safety, struggling students, highachieving students, class sizes, social-emotional supports and student achievement.

The first position identified to be brought back is a Brown School special education teacher.

Schaeffner said it is still possible that the committee may decide to use more of the surplus to bring back laid-off teachers. salary increments and other costs.

Buckey and Cresta restated their strong opposition to using any of the $500,000 surplus. They both proposed keeping the money for unforeseen costs in the special education budget next year.

The two chairs of the Marblehead Education Association, which represents the town’s teachers, also spoke against using any of the surplus to rehire laid-off teachers.

“Our community has asked for transparency and honesty,” said Jonathan Heller, who teaches at the Village School.

“Yes, the School Committee has the right to determine the line items of the school budget, but by going back into FY 24 to look to restore cuts that the Marblehead Public Schools and the School Committee told this community would happen if the override did not pass only serves to undermine that transparency and honesty.

“In fact, restoring the cuts will have a greater impact on the ability of the passing of a future Proposition 2 ½ override, funding to establish the goal of providing an exemplary education to the children of Marblehead,” he added.

The water distribution system under the Commission’s management consists of over 83 miles of water mains, a storage tank, more than 845 hydrants, two booster pumping stations and a billing system for over 8,000 customers. The Commission’s mandate also covers the wastewater collection system, encompassing 28 lift stations and over 100 miles of pipe, all directing wastewater to the SESD for treatment.

The School Committee also asked Buckey and Cresta to initiate a review of how many students and teachers are in each school and student-teacher ratios. The Department of Secondary Education states that Marblehead has a 10-1 studentteacher ratio, but Buckey argues that is misleading because it includes para-professionals and other teachers that don’t serve entire classrooms.

Athletics personnel report

The committee will meet July 20 in executive session (without public access) to discuss a personnel matter involving the athletic department.

Fox said she has heard from parents who became concerned after watching a School Committee meeting this spring where public records requests were discussed. One request was for a report on a personnel matter in the athletic department.

“Was there information in that report that would change policy?” Fox asked. “Have we missed a hole in our policies? There were concerns on how this came to light, how long did it take for this to come to light.”

The committee meets in a public session next on August 7 at 8 a.m.

Finance Committee and Harbors and Waters Board.

“It pains me to say it, but I’m really worried [about] who’s going to be the sacrificial committee because it’s pretty clear: This is all about the Finance Committee and the Harbors and Waters Board,” he said. “One of these committees is going to suffer by getting cut, in my opinion.” a responsive review. In addition to communicating my general agreement, supporting the current motion gives me the option to appeal to my board colleagues to reconsider the motion at the next Select Board meeting.”

Singer underscored the significance of effectively communicating the fourmonth pause with volunteers, emphasizing that the hold on appointments should not be seen as a reflection of their commitment. Instead, it should be viewed as an opportunity to discuss the current procedures.

Grader hopes that the Select Board will take “a two-week period of contemplation” and reappoint volunteers, potentially with their terms ending in May rather than June next year. This adjustment would provide the Select Board with more time to review the best way forward is as an independent, nonprofit and locally led newspaper. We aren’t funded by a corporate owner. We rely not only on local advertisers, but also on community support, donations and grants. reappointments before the fiscal year’s end. He further suggests a motion to initiate the Select Board’s review this year, clearly stating the purpose and objectives of such a review.

Noonan wants to break away from the current timing cycle associated with the reappointment process and conduct a thorough review.

“Getting off the cycle of board reappointments would serve us better. This involves moving the process to an earlier time, allowing for comprehensive information before voting,” she said. “Moreover, we need to pause and review our policies while also soliciting feedback from our volunteers on the reappointment process.”

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She proposed actively seeking feedback from volunteers and developing a policy that aligns with the town meeting’s mandate for structured procedures regarding appointments and reappointments.

Nye expressed worry about the impact on specific committees, suggesting that the new Select Board may want to rework the

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“We need to make a proactive effort to reach out to all the volunteers, communicating the reasoning and the process behind any changes,” she said. “It’s important to ensure that we’re not disrespecting our current volunteers and their commitment. We are merely discussing the pros and cons of the current procedure.” together as a community and make us better informed and more connected.

There are many volunteer committees impacted by the hold, including the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Old and Historic Districts Commission, Task Force Against Discrimination and Disabilities Commission.

The Current founders, journalists and board members invite you to join this exciting movement, and read and support our paper.