By STEVEN JUPITER
BRANDON—At a meeting on Thursday, July 11, the Prudential Committee that oversees Brandon Fire District No. 1 (which encompasses the Brandon Water Department and the Brandon Fire Department) unanimously voted to raise usage rates on Brandon’s water from the current $5.05 per 1,000 gallons to $5.50 per 1,000 gallons. Brandon residents with water service also pay a base rate of $66.63 per quarter, which the Committee also voted to raise to $70.00.
The increase comes at the recommendation of Raymond Counter, the Water Superintendent for Brandon Fire District No. 1, who wrote in his submitted report to the Committee that rates had not been raised since 2018. According to Mr. Counter, who was not present, rates should be raised every 3 to 5 years. By Mr. Counter’s calculations, the increase in the usage rate plus the increase in the base fee will bring the Water Department an additional $25,000 in revenue annually.
While the increase of $0.45 per 1,000 gallons represents a 9% hike, the resulting rate of $5.50 is still significantly less than the state average, according to the Committee, and is still significantly less than what the District says it will need to cover expenses going forward. As in many other fields, inflation has driven up the price of materials, such as pipe, that the District uses on a regular basis.
Before agreeing to raise the rates, the Committee discussed the need to bring rates closer to actual costs and that the process should be done incrementally. No specific timetable was set.
In a separate discussion, the Committee voted to table review of the Purchase & Sale agreement for the land on Birch Hill Road on which the District plans to install the water tank that will replace the underground tank on Route 73 in Forest Dale. The terms of the P & S were not available at the meeting. The Committee hopes to have the P & S in hand for discussion next month.
The cost of the land is just one component of the overall expense. The total cost of the project will likely exceed $10 million and will ultimately be financed in large part by a bond whose cost will be passed on to customers of the Water Department. There is already a line item on water bills for “debt service.” That line item will increase if the bond for the new tank is passed. This means, as well, that the cost of the bond will be borne only by customers of the Water Department. Anyone who is not hooked up to “town water” (i.e., has a well) will not share the burden of this debt.
These decisions are made by the Prudential Committee in public meetings. The Fire District is not overseen by the Brandon Selectboard and its decisions are not subject to review by that body. It is an independent “municipality,” meaning that it is its own legal entity apart from the town. The Town of Brandon, however, handles wastewater (sewage) and sets its own rates for the disposal thereof. For the ease of residents, the Town handles billing for both fresh water and for sewage, with the Fire District’s portion (fresh water) remitted to the District by the Town after receipt.
Because of the legal distinction between the Fire District and the Town, the bond for the new tank will most likely be put up for approval or rejection at the Fire District’s annual meeting in early 2025. Any Brandon resident who attends that meeting will be able to vote up or down on the bond. It will not appear on the ballot at Town Meeting.
The Prudential Committee is composed of 5 members who are elected by attendees at the Fire District’s annual public meeting. The current members are Chair Jonathon Wyman, Vice-Chair Natalie Steen, Cathy Bilodeau, Dennis Reisenweaver, and David Snow. The Committee’s monthly meetings are held at 6:30 on the first Thursday of every month (July’s meeting was postponed a week because of the July 4th holiday) and are open to the public.
