Nahant water rates going up

NAHANT – Starting July 1, Nahant residents will be paying more for water and sewer rates and trash fees, but Town Administrator Andy Bisignani said the rates are still not high.Water and sewer rates went up by a combined 2.75 percent, which Bisignani credited with an increase in the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority?s rate assessment. Water rates will increase to $6.72 per 100 feet of water, and sewer rates to $8.89.Trash fees will increase from the flat rate of $304 a year per household to $320. Bisignani explained in an interview Friday that the rate went up because of contractual obligations to Northside Carting. He added that the trash fee pays for keeping the beaches clean, weekend rubbish pickup at town playgrounds and other public areas, maintenance at the compost site.When the fee increase was announced at Thursday?s Board of Selectmen meeting, Chairman Rich Lombard said $320 was “still the lowest rubbish fee in Essex County,” and thought the increase in recycling programs would have to keep the fee low. “I still think it?s a pretty good deal at $320,” said Lombard.Senior citizens can apply for an exemption rate at $230 for one person and $290 for two people in a household. Lombard said Sheila Hamilton in the Assessor?s Office was willing to meet seniors at home to help them fill out the paperwork.It was the split senior rate that raised questions for Selectman Mike Manning, who voted not to approve the rates in a 2-1 vote. “The two-tiered rate wasn?t what I remembered,” he said Friday. “I don?t believe we did that last year.”In addition, Manning said he didn?t vote to approve the rates because he said the data was presented last minute at the meeting, so that he had no idea where the numbers came from. “It wasn?t clear what was presented to us,” he said. “I asked every question I had and none of them had the answers, so I voted no.”Manning said he would have preferred to have the rates three weeks in advance. ” I guess I?m at fault for not asking it to be presented early. It?s all a question of how the staff gets their work done and how the Town Administrator presents it to us.”Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].