Wayland Board of Public Works approves FY27 water rates, including 7.5% PFAS surcharge

The Wayland Board of Public Works voted unanimously on June 23 to set FY27 water rates that include a lowered annual base fee and a PFAS remediation surcharge.

Judy Ling moved to approve the following rates, which the board adopted 5-0: "Tier 1 $8.00 Tier 2 $11.50 Tier 3 $14.00 Tier 4 $22.00 Annual Base Fee $80.00 PFAS Remediation Surcharge 7.5% Target retained earnings 20%." The motion was seconded by Michael Spelman and passed by roll call vote of Ling, Spelman, Storer, Chiang and Wegerbauer.

The vote followed a consultant presentation from Matt Abrahams of the Abrahams Group, who walked the board through an updated water-model spreadsheet showing usage, revenues, budgeted expenses, capital and debt-service rows, and a sample user bill illustrating potential bill impacts. Board members discussed the model’s retained-earnings guidance; Abrahams noted consultants generally recommend a retained-earnings target of 10%–25% of operating costs plus debt, and the board has typically targeted 20%.

Board members also debated the level of the annual base fee and whether municipal accounts should be charged a higher rate in future years. Ling asked DPW Director Tom Holder and Abrahams to gather municipal-usage data for potential FY28 changes. Holder advised the FY26 budget is projected to be underspent by about $110,000, and Abrahams’ updated model showed a projected retained-earnings balance of approximately $1.2 million after adjustments.

The board authorized Jon Storer and/or Michael Spelman to sign the new FY27 rate sheet after the vote. Director Holder asked a board member to come into the DPW office to sign the document.