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Sellersville faces multi-year rate increases after county presents $294,000 combined shortfall
Summary
Staff presented Sellersville's water and sewer finances showing a roughly $195,000 annual sewer shortfall and about $99,000 shortfall for water; proposed staged increases (35% Oct. 1, 2026 and additional phased increases) and a $12 per 0.25 customer charge were advertised and the record was left open for two weeks.
Public Works Director Alan Quimby told commissioners the Sellersville (Suttlesville/Sellersville in the transcript) water and sewer subdistrict faces structural deficits. Quimby reported annual sewer expenditures of about $450,000 with revenues near $255,000, a roughly $195,000 annual shortfall; he described an additional approximate $99,000 annual loss for water. The town carries USDA debt, a $55,000-per-year water-tower maintenance contract, and other fixed costs that contributed to the shortfall.
Staff proposed a phased approach: a 35% increase effective Oct. 1, 2026; additional increases on July 1 of the following years (15% sewer / 5% water in the schedule provided); introduction of a $12 customer charge per 0.25 account; a minimum quarterly usage assumption of 4,550 gallons per 0.25; and a 5% annual escalator to begin July 1, 2029 unless modified by the sanitary district via resolution. Quimby said the increases are designed to reach break-even but would not generate reserves for capital upgrades; he noted the sanitary district is under a consent order for improving permit compliance and that a recent $3 million grant likely will require approximately $4 million to complete the work, a cost not covered by the proposed rate increases.
An emailed public comment from Valerie Edge requested expanding the ready-to-serve exemption to allow occupants of trust-owned properties to qualify based on the occupant's income rather than the owner's and asked for narrow waivers in limited circumstances; Quimby said adjustments to that program would require county code revision. The board left the hearing record open for two weeks to accept written testimony.
