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Residents tell Alton Select Board rate hikes won’t by themselves fix aging water system
Summary
At a Select Board meeting, public commenters and staff debated water‑system needs: residents said raising rates alone won’t cover an estimated multi‑million dollar infrastructure replacement, staff reported under $200,000 in a capital reserve and about 497 metered accounts.
Residents told the Alton Select Board that while they accept the need for higher water rates, one speaker said the consultant report "was not pretty" and warned the increases alone will not fund an estimated multi‑million‑dollar replacement of the town’s water infrastructure.
"The report that came back from Time Bond was not pretty," resident Holly Sullivan said during public comment, urging the board to consider capital planning and reserves rather than relying solely on user fees. "Raising the rates is certainly not gonna offset that."
Town staff answered with the numbers available at the meeting: the town has "just under…
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