Westborough DPW proposes replacing Title 5-based sewer fee with per‑bedroom apportionment; vote deferred

Chris Payont, the town’s DPW/DPAW director, told the Westborough Advisory Finance Committee on Feb. 20 that the town needs a new sewer cost‑apportionment bylaw to correct what analysis showed was an “over‑commitment” of permitted sewer flow under the existing Title 5–based rules. Payont said the moratorium placed last May requires the town to adopt new rules and implementing regulations before it can begin to issue additional flow allocations and lift the moratorium.

Payont described the proposal as a rewrite rather than a series of edits to the existing bylaw. Under the current ordinance, the town charges a flat $10,000 single‑family connection fee (the bylaw treats a single‑family home as a 4‑bedroom unit). The proposed bylaw would instead set a per‑bedroom base so, for example, a 4‑bedroom home would pay $10,000 (4 × $2,500) while a 3‑bedroom would pay $7,500 and a 6‑bedroom $15,000. Payont said the change is intended to apportion access to sewer capacity more equitably, not principally to increase revenue.

For nonresidential properties, Payont said the town would continue to rely on Title 5 as a starting point but apply an adjustment factor to better match permitted flow to actual water use. “We’re not going to allocate a 100 gallons a day … We’re going to allocate 70% of that,” he said, explaining that the 70% factor reflects town analysis that compared Title 5 permitted flow to customers’ actual metered water use.

Committee members asked how the new model would affect existing homeowners, and Payont replied that most customers already connected would not see an immediate change unless they add capacity (for example, an accessory dwelling unit or an added bedroom). He also said the town uses the Title 5 definition of a bedroom and has added clarifying language in the draft so owners cannot self‑define rooms to avoid fees: “it’s well defined what a bedroom is,” he said.

Members raised equity and technical questions about using bedrooms as the primary proxy for sewer impact (some noted that bathrooms or occupants could affect usage). Payont acknowledged the limitation but said the bedroom count is an industry standard and provides a consistent planning metric. He also confirmed the connection fee is intended as a capital contribution—“you’re buying into the system”—and that physical connection work (the lateral from the house to the town main) remains the homeowner’s responsibility.

The committee did not vote on the bylaw on Feb. 20. Member Beth (Lundberg) said she wanted to reread the full draft carefully and the group agreed to defer a recommendation until outstanding questions and requested clarifications (including points Christie was expected to provide) are available. Payont said the select board will later review the implementing regulations that the bylaw authorizes, and the town will need both the bylaw and regulations to lift the moratorium on new flow allocations.

What happens next: the advisory committee deferred its recommendation to a later meeting. The select board and town staff will continue to refine the implementing regulations and provide additional clarifications to the committee before the warrant recommendation is finalized.