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Uxbridge consultants recommend 22% water rate increase to fund multi‑year capital plan; commissioners ask for alternatives
Summary
Town consultants told the Water & Sewer Commissioners a 22% water rate increase is needed to build reserves for roughly $37 million in upcoming projects; commissioners requested alternative models that delay or remove certain projects and asked staff to return with senior and need‑based discount scenarios.
Consultants from Ty and Bond told the Town of Uxbridge Water & Sewer Commissioners that large capital needs — including a projected $20 million PFOS treatment project and roughly $4 million in water main work — require a near‑term increase in rates to avoid much larger spikes later.
"We are projecting the need for a 22% rate increase," Joshua Bouchard, project engineer for Ty and Bond, told commissioners during the continued public hearing. He said the 22% increase would be applied broadly and is intended to build retained earnings in fiscal 2026 so the town can spread future debt service more evenly and avoid a potential 40–50% jump in later years.
The recommendation rests on the consultants’ assumptions about capital costs, projected usage growth and debt service. Bouchard summarized the capital pipeline as roughly $37 million in projects across the plan horizon,…
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