Page 26 - 2025 Brighton VT Annual Report

Water and Sewer Department Report

The Water & Sewer Department has had a very busy year, but things feel like they are finally moving
in a forward trajectory. Most of the issues with the billing software have finally been resolved and we’re
excited to announce that we will be installing new meters throughout town this year so please be on the
lookout for a letter with instructions on scheduling your appointment.

The Wastewater Treatment Facility upgrade is also under construction. We anticipated having problems
with sludge removal as part of the upgrade, but to our delight, it went off without a hitch. And then they
started digging for the new foundation and the wheels fell off. When the plant was constructed in the late
1970s, they cleared all the trees to build the lagoons and buried them in the area where the new building
was planned to be constructed. When the contractor excavated down to 20 feet and hit groundwater,
it was obvious that a redesign was going to be required. This delayed the project about six weeks and
added an unwelcome $600,000 to the cost of the project. We are hopeful that this is the last of the
hurdles we have to make it over in order reach the finish line on this project.

The next project, upgrading both water treatment plants along with the transmission line that connects
our water source to the south treatment plant, will soon be a reality. The town voters approved a $9.6
million bond in November to assist with financing the project. Final design engineering just kicked off as
well as applications for funding the project. It is anticipated that the construction on the two plants will
take place in 2027.

The downtown water main replacement project is slowly moving forward. This is a costly and disruptive
project that is going to require a multitude of funding sources and coordination between half a dozen
utility providers. Our goal is to see this project constructed in 2028 which is very ambitious given its
complexity.

A thorough evaluation of our finances and rate structure identified an inequitable cost allocation
between the water and sewer departments. The department utilizes an outside contractor to operate
both systems and since it is the same staff, equipment etc. our contract is a lump sum. The department
has simply charged half this bill to water and half to sewer which was probably an easy solution in the old
days. Unfortunately, as the water system expanded, it was paying less than its fair share of the operating
costs. We currently have 723 water users but only 435 sewer users, and this incorrect cost allocation
is why the rates go up way faster on the sewer side than they do on the water side. To put it simply, the
sewer department has been subsidizing the water users all these years. We can’t go back in time and
correct the past, but we can correct it in our billing and financial systems going forward. While both
systems will see a small increase due to inflation, the sewer users will actually see a rate decrease and
the water users will see a larger than normal increase. This one-time change in rates will ensure that
users of both systems are paying their fair share of the costs.

The departments have been working diligently to reduce our outstanding delinquencies. The outstanding
delinquent balance fell by approximately 50 percent this year which was an enormous improvement. We
will begin assessing interest monthly on all delinquent balances beginning in February which was on hold
while we straightened out the new billing software.

The department is very happy to report that Katie Mientka will be joining the water department part time
as the billing clerk. The water and sewer departments have long depended on the town clerk, town
administrator and town manager to accomplish this task but none of them had the time to devote to
getting the billing system where it needs to be. With the goal of switching to monthly billing once the new
meters are installed, the departments need someone devoted to making sure they operate smoothly and
the bills are correct. Don’t worry, Katie isn’t leaving the library, you’ll just get to hear her cheery voice if
you have billing questions.

24 Town of Brighton, VT