Middletown WPCA advances $25.5 million water and sewer bond for referendum

The Middletown Water Pollution Control Authority unanimously moved on Monday to advance a proposed $25.5 million water and sewer bond to the mayor and common council for consideration for the November ballot, Director Joseph Fizzino said.

Fitzino outlined the bond package and its intended uses, saying it funds additional inflow and infiltration (I&I) projects, water‑main and pump‑station upgrades and a multi‑year lead service‑line replacement program. “So, totals bond I'm looking for for referendum is $25,500,000,” Fizzino said during the meeting.

The packet presented to commissioners breaks the request into several elements: staged I&I work on multiple basins (including basins 12, 15, 19, 25, 26 and 27); water infrastructure replacements and phased streets work; a proposed Bartholomew Road booster pump station (Fizzino said he expects a 50% grant match and 50% loan for that project); an estimated $3.6 million for filter repairs and an estimated $4.5 million program to replace identified lead service lines. Fizzino said some projects already have grant approvals and that the bond language would include contingency funds and flexibility for related public‑works needs.

Commissioners pressed on the fiscal impact and grant contingencies. Chair Brian Gardner and other members emphasized the need for scenario planning to show how the bond would affect rates and taxpayers. “But, it is still gonna have an impact on our rates one way or another,” Gardner said, urging careful balancing. Several members urged staff to produce plan A and plan B projections in case matching funds or grant terms change.

Councilwoman Saffia recommended clear messaging to voters that the request is a water‑and‑sewer bond, not general‑fund borrowing, to avoid confusion at the ballot box: “Because we have so many things that are gonna come up at for referendum for bonds, I think we need to really get the word out there that this is not general fund money,” she said.

Fizzino outlined a rough funding breakdown as discussed at the meeting: he said approximately $4.63 million of the package would be grant funding and about $2.37 million would be external loan funding, with the remaining roughly $18.5 million to be debt issued by the city’s water and sewer enterprise. He asked for a commission nod to take the proposal to the mayor; commissioners moved, seconded and voted to advance the item for further discussion and formal council review. Fizzino said the next steps are conversations with the mayor and submission to the common council (the process includes timing and a required council lead time before a November ballot placement).

The commission did not adopt a final bond ordinance at the meeting; it agreed to advance the proposal so the mayor and council can consider and refine the package. Commissioners asked staff to prepare detailed fiscal projections and multiple scenarios showing rate impacts and grant contingencies before any final vote.

The commission’s vote to advance the bond was unanimous. The mayor’s office and the common council will receive the proposal for the next steps toward potential placement on the November ballot.