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Taunton mayor asks legislature to let city set a separate water rate for manufactured housing parks
Summary
Mayor Sean O'Connell and Taunton's city solicitor asked the committee to approve S2652, a home‑rule petition that would allow Taunton to set a municipal water rate for manufactured housing communities to address master‑meter inequities that push resident costs into higher billing tiers.
Taunton Mayor Sean O'Connell and the city solicitor told the Joint Committee that manufactured housing communities in Taunton are billed under a single master meter and therefore charged higher tier rates under the city’s three‑tier water schedule. The delegation asked the committee to report S2652 favorably so the city council could adopt a targeted rate comparable to single‑family residential customers.
Mayor O'Connell described studies showing manufactured‑home parks carry a heavier water cost burden because a single meter makes the park the customer and pushes most consumption into tier 3. Matt Costa, the city solicitor, explained that state court precedent requires enabling legislation for a municipality to charge a special utility rate to a particular user class and that S2652 is the legally correct vehicle to allow Taunton to adopt a separate rate for manufactured housing.
Representatives from Taunton and members of the local delegation attended in support and asked the committee to move the home‑rule petition through the Legislature so the council can set and approve the new rate.
