• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Board of Directors
    • LWV Mission Statement
    • Bylaws of the LWVN
    • LWVN Non-Partisan Policy
    • LWVN Diversity Policy
    • LWVN Handbook
    • Annual Meetings
    • Newton League Past Presidents
    • Jane Leighton Volunteer-of-the-Year Award
    • LWVN Scholarship Program
  • News and Events
    • News & Events
    • The League Presents…
    • Newsletters
  • New Member FAQ
  • Contact Us
LWV Newton logo
  • Facebook

Visit us on Facebook!

  • Learn
    • Learn
    • The League Presents…
    • Topic Meetings
    • Newton Civics Challenge
  • Act/Advocate
    • Act/Advocate
    • LWVN Positions and Program
    • Issues We Are Following
    • LWVN Observer Corps
    • LWVN Local Action Log
    • Consensus Studies
    • National and State Positions
  • Vote
    • Vote
    • How to Register to Vote
    • How to Pick a Candidate
    • How, When and Where to Vote
    • Massachusetts Voters Bill of Rights
    • Your Elected Officials
    • Tips for Contacting Elected Officials

LWVN Comments on Proposed Water / Sewer / Stormwater Rates

May 5, 2015

NOTE:  The comments below were based on the originally proposed fees, not the rates proposed over the weekend before the hearing.  LWVN did not have the opportunity to review those fees in time for public comment.

The proposed rates for water, sewer and stormwater are the result of tremendous efforts by city staff and aldermen, particularly Aldermen Deborah Crossley and Ruthanne Fuller. The goal of these changes is to create a fair means by which to pay for the upkeep of the  infrastructure that provides us with safe water and prevents flooding.

LWVN supports full-cost pricing for water systems as a best practice for  covering the costs of providing water and sewer services.  We hope this will also provide an incentive to conserve this vital resource.

Despite the City’s efforts over the last few years to repair our water pipes, Newton still pays the MWRA for a large amount of water, which does not make its way to customers. Finding and repairing the leak(s) in order to reduce Newton’s percentage of unaccounted water (in line with other MWRA communities’), will be a critical investment and provide future savings. Thus, we support the new water & sewer block rates, which encourage water conservation while minimizing the burden on small users.

We also understand that the proposed stormwater rate increase is necessary to pay the estimated expenses in that system for FY2015-16. Newton needs to prevent nutrient and other pollutants from entering our water bodies, including Crystal Lake and the Charles River. This is important work, and includes repairing broken drainage lines to prevent future flooding.

The Weston & Sampson report before you identifies a scope of work that is critical to operations now and over the next 20 years but we still need a rational way to share the burden. About half of all impervious surfaces in this City are owned by all of us—our City buildings, our streets, tennis courts, parking lots, etc.   All of us need a working stormwater system.

The jump in residential stormwater fees from $25-$75/year is substantial, but avoiding water pipe repairs, delaying measures to prevent flooding where we can, and mismanaging runoff before it carries pollutants to our water bodies can have much higher ultimate costs to Newton and its residents.

The commercial stormwater rates unfortunately perpetuate an unfair pricing structure that bills all businesses the same (regardless of its contribution to the problem). While this fee increase is needed in the short-term, we urge the city to continue moving with deliberate speed toward a fee system in which the tiers are adjusted according to the amount of impermeable surface on a property. We urge the administration to set the upper tiers of such a system high enough to be fair on a per-square-yard basis, and to create an incentive to implement stormwater mitigation measures that benefit everyone.

We support the proposed rates and we look forward to reviewing new proposals that use impervious surfaces as the basis for stormwater fees by the next fiscal year

 

Categories: Environmental Issues, Local Action Log

Primary Sidebar

Support LWVN

Join/Renew
Donate

Election Info

The State Primary is Tuesday, September 6.  Don't forget to VOTE!

  • Register to vote
  • How to Vote
  • Find your polling location
  • Absentee Ballots

Upcoming Events

  • There are no upcoming events.

2021 LWVN Member Handbook

An electronic version LWVN Member Handbook is now available.  Expect an updated handbook for 2022-23 in the late Fall.

LWV Mass. & US

LWV MA LWV US

Watch “The League Presents…”

The League Presents... is a monthly program on NewTV produced and directed by LWVN members about issues important to our community.

  • The League Presents: A conversation with Carol Moore, Newton’s City Clerk and Clerk of the City Council
  • The League Presents: Zoning Redesign, part 1
  • The League Presents: Newton’s Citizens Commission on Energy
  • The League Presents: What it means to be a League of Women Voters member
  • The League Presents: A Conversation with Three New School Committee Members

All past programs

Take Action & Contact Your Legislators

  • Support An Act Promoting Community Immunity
  • Support Public Health Measures 
  • Support Racial and Gender Parity
  • Take Action on the Votes Act
  • Potential Cuts to MBTA Service

Posts by Category

  • VOTE – Voters Service
    • Elections
    • Candidate Forums
    • Voter Registration
  • LEARN – Topics of Interest
    • Charter Commission
    • Community Preservation
    • Education
    • Environmental Issues
    • Housing
    • Land Use
    • Municipal Finance
    • Transportation
    • Women’s Suffrage
  • ACT – Action & Advocacy
    • Local Action Log
    • Consensus Studies – MA
    • Consensus Studies – Newton
    • Consensus Studies – US
  • City of Newton Info
    • City Council Meetings: Docket Digest
    • Observer Notes

Facebook Posts

Ellen Auerbach Grody
Ellen Auerbach Grody

June 28th, 11:33 am

Thank you for the recent letter to the mayor:LWVN Board Concurs with Newton Citizens Commission on Energy’s Memo Rejecting Newton Cemetery’s Tree Removal RequestJune 24, 2022On June 24, 2022, LWVN sent an email to Mayor Fuller expressing our our agreement with the Newton Citizens Commission on Energy (NCCE)’s memo of June 20th stating “We are writing to you regarding the Newton Cemetery’ request for exemption from the Tree Preservation Ordinance. We urge you to stand with the Director of Urban Forestry in denying that request and any waiver of its consequences. We also urge you to ask the City Council to revise the ordinance language to clarify their intent that the Tree Preservation Ordinance not exclude any property owners from its provisions.” ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

League of Women Voters of Newton, MA
League of Women Voters of Newton, MA

June 22nd, 6:26 pm

Breaking News: Governor Baker Signs VOTES Act Into Law - https://mailchi.mp/56363aee24bf/votes_act_update-8901645 ... See MoreSee Less

Breaking News: Governor Baker Signs VOTES Act Into Law

mailchi.mp

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

League of Women Voters of Newton, MA
League of Women Voters of Newton, MA

June 21st, 11:26 am

Newton Public Facilities Meeting: New Pipelines and Gas Valve Safety - https://mailchi.mp/ceafe522986a/newton-public-facilities-meeting-new-pipelines-and-gas-valve-safety ... See MoreSee Less

Newton Public Facilities Meeting: New Pipelines and Gas Valve Safety

mailchi.mp

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

League of Women Voters of Newton, MA
League of Women Voters of Newton, MA

June 13th, 10:33 am

LWVN has launched an important new "Municipal Transparency and Accountability Initiative". Learn more here!: https://lwvnewton.org/2022/06/… ... See MoreSee Less

Municipal Transparency and Accountability Initiative: Mission Statement and Goals - League of Women Voters Newton

lwvnewton.org

Throughout its 102-year history, the League of Women Voters has been a vigorous advocate for transparent and accountable government. The League strongly believes that transparency and accountability i...
View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

League of Women Voters of Newton, MA
League of Women Voters of Newton, MA

June 9th, 10:12 am

Important Update: VOTES ACT Released from Conference Committee - https://mailchi.mp/6365b29fa297/votes_act_update ... See MoreSee Less

Important Update: VOTES ACT Released from Conference Committee

mailchi.mp

Boston, MA — The Massachusetts VOTES Act Conference Committee today released its version of the comprehensive election reform bill, which will now head to the House and Senate for final procedural...
View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization encouraging the informed and active participation of citizens in government. It influences public policy through education and advocacy.

© 2022 League of Women Voters® Newton | P.O. Box 610207, Newton, MA 02461 | info@lwvnewton.org

Site by Tech-Tamer | Log in