CANTON–The Canton Board of Selectmen voted Thursday to increase sewer rates 20% for homes and businesses.

The change will be made to residents’ bills for their next billing cycle in January, they said.

State Rep. Richard Pickett, R-Dixfield, right, presents Pinnacle Health and Rehab Administrator Mark Jacobs with a legislative sentiment for the residential care and nursing home facility in Canton. The facility received the Eli Pick Facility Leadership Award from the American College of Health Care Administrators, a distinction given to only seven percent of skilled nursing facilities nationwide, read Rep. Pickett from the sentiment. Marianne Hutchinson/Rumford Falls Times

Selectmen began discussing the issue in August and held a town hearing in September to discuss raising the rates by 20%.

During the hearing in September, Selectman Scotty Kilbreth said that the town’s sewer rates were established in 1987 and were based on water usage. Kilbreth also said that the last rate increase was “in 2008 or 2009.”

Customers from one- or two-person households could expect to pay $16 more per quarter with the 20% increase, Kilbreth said.

The reason for raising the sewer rates is due to the higher costs for maintaining land around the sewer plant and the four lagoons there, the selectmen said during prior meetings this fall.

Other factors for the increase are a license renewal and test in the next few years costing $8,000 to $10,000 and a wage increase for the next maintenance employee when Dave Madison retires in three years, selectmen said.

In other matters, selectmen said they are planning a special town meeting to begin at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 9 to discuss repealing the town’s administrative assistant ordinance.

Tina Cagle, the town’s administrative assistant since July 2018, resigned from the position in November and Deputy Town Clerk Carol Buzzell has been appointed acting administrative assistant.

By repealing the ordinance, the selectmen will be able to hire “more qualified individuals for (Town Office) positions,” Selectman Brian Keene said.

The administrative assistant ordinance also lists several duties required by the administrative assistant position and the selectmen want more freedom to hire town office employees without the constraints of the ordinance, they said.

On Thursday, state Rep. Richard Pickett, R-Dixfield presented Pinnacle Health and Rehab Administrator Mark Jacobs with a legislative sentiment for the residential care and nursing home facility in Canton.

The residential care facility was recognized with the sentiment because it received the “Eli Pick Facility Leadership Award from the American College of Health Care Administrators, a distinction given to only seven percent of skilled nursing facilities nationwide,” read Rep. Pickett from the sentiment.

“This will be in the archives of the history of the state of Maine for perpetuity,” Rep. Pickett said.

Selectmen on Thursday also reminded residents of Canton, Carthage, Dixfield and Peru that a hearing on the Regional School Unit 56 budget for 2019-20 has been scheduled for Thursday at Dirigo High School. A referendum is set for Jan. 7 in each of the four towns.

Selectmen also said the Town Office will be closed Dec. 24, 25, 31 and Jan. 1.

mhutchinson@sunmediagroup.net