by Alex Brooks
At the end of the Public Hearing on the budget held on November 1, members of the Town Board read a letter addressed to the patrons of the Water District, declaring the need to raise the semi-annual water fees. It cited a history of operational shortfalls and sought to put the District on a sounder financial footing by raising the semi-annual fee from $180 to $212.50 starting with the billing this January.
This is an interim measure, because the District is working toward a billing system which will have a basic semi-annual fee as one component and a usage charge as the other. About 95% of the new meters which will make it possible to implement this system have been installed.
There is also an element of uncertainty in the Water District’s finances because of the large sums coming and going under the WIIA Grant and Taconic’s reimbursements for PFOA-related expenses. The latest Supervisor’s report shows the Water District almost $250,000 in the red, but also shows that nearly all of that should be paid off by reimbursements due from the WIIA grant and from Taconic.