City Council approves water & sewer rate hike by 8-3 vote

Zambuto: 9.7% rate hike is “going to be painful” for seniors

By Barbara Taormina

Revere’s water and sewer rates will jump 9.7 percent beginning in July. The City Council voted 8-3 to approve new rates of $5.05 per 100 cubic feet of water for residential properties and $8.37 per 100 cubic feet for commercial properties. City Councillors Chris Giannino, Ira Novoselsky and Anthony Zambuto voted against the rate hike.

“Almost 10 percent, that’s a lot of money,” said Zambuto. “This is going to kill people on a fixed income. It’s going to be painful.”

City Chief Financial Officer Richard Viscay said the large increase was due to the use of one-time revenue to stabilize rates hit with a 4.25 rate increase over three years. The city used American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and money from the water/sewer stabilization fund to blunt the impact of that increase over the past three years. But Viscay said he was wary of continuing that practice and it is important to have expenditures covered by revenue.

Still, councillors worried about the effect the rate hike would have on the community, particularly on senior homeowners. “I’m getting croaked with calls. My phone is ringing off the hook with seniors who say they can’t afford a 10 percent hike,” said Novoselsky.

Other councillors asked if there is any way to reduce the increase. But Viscay said the rate hike was needed. “We’re hoping this will be a one-time adjustment that will take us to more reasonable rates going forward,” said Viscay.

Water and sewer rate payers in the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) water district, which includes Greater Boston cities and towns, particularly Revere, Chelsea, Malden and Saugus (water only), pay the highest rates in the country.