LIVERMORE FALLS — A public hearing on a proposed rate increase for sewer users is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 7, at Town Office.

The sewer rate is $60 per housing unit, and .0516 cents per cubic foot of water used. Next year, they will increase by 20 percent, Town Manager Kristal Flagg said.

She pointed out that in 2013, selectmen, who also serve as sewer trustees for the town, were faced with a rate increase of 35 percent in order for the Sewer Department to be fully funded. They did increase the rate 20 percent that year, but have rejected rate increases since then, even as costs have continued increasing.

“We have to be more attentive to those sewer rates,” Board of Selectmen Chairwoman Louise Chabot said at a meeting Feb. 21.

Flagg noted that the rate increase is necessary to pay for Sewer Department equipment and maintenance, as well as the wastewater treatment plant.

Another issue facing the town is the condition of the sewer pipes. Flagg said there were a number of sections that needed replacement or repair, which wouldn’t be possible without the rate increase.

bmatulaitis@sunmediagroup.net

The Livermore Falls Town Office