Bel Air commissioners receive ordinance to raise sewer rates; public hearing set for June 22

The Town of Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners on June 1 received Ordinance 862-26, a staff-drafted update to the town code governing sewer service rates, and scheduled a public hearing for 7 p.m. on June 22 at Town Hall.

Miss Moody, town finance staff, told the board the fiscal 2027 sewer fund budget includes a proposal to increase the town's sewage usage charge by $0.75 per thousand gallons — from $7.50 to $8.25 per thousand — above the automatic CPI-driven portion of the increase. She said the proposal also includes an adjustment to the monthly base charge: for a standard 5/8-inch meter the base would rise from about $3.47 to about $3.82 per month. The staff recommendation is driven in part by Harford County’s bulk sewer user charge, which Moody said rose roughly 50% between fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2026, while the town’s customer rates rose about 21% in the same span.

“Staff is making this recommendation in an effort to be more proactive by either covering our expenses mainly for the cost of the county treating the sewage or setting aside money in the sanitary sewer capital improvement reserve for future capital projects,” Miss Moody said.

Moody told the board the county posts its bulk-user charge in December and makes it retroactive to July 1, which complicates municipal budgeting. She said the proposed usage and base-rate changes would be effective for the July 25, 2026 billing cycle if the ordinance is ultimately adopted.

There were no members of the public present to speak during the meeting. The board voted 5–0 to receive the ordinance for public hearing; Commissioners Foss, Chismar, Taylor, Hanley and Chair Eding each voted yes.

The public hearing on Ordinance 862-26 is scheduled for Monday, June 22, 2026, at 7 p.m. at Bel Air Town Hall.