Residents will see their water and sewer bills increase this year, but selectmen are still debating the extent of the hike.
Selectmen last week put off making a final decision on the increase and instead will ask a subcommittee to come back with more information.
General Manager John Carroll recommended the board approve new rates that would increase the average residential bill by 4.7 percent, or $2.64 a month. The average residential bill is roughly $56 a month.
Carroll said raising the rates an average of 4.7 percent would allow the town to recoup enough money to pay off the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority's assessment to the town as well as pay the town's own water and sewer costs.
The MWRA provides Norwood with water and sewer services, and its annual assessment comprises 75 percent of the town's water and sewer budget.
Local costs, which include maintaining water and sewer pipes, make up the remaining 25 percent of the budget.
"If we can't recover our costs, we're basically going to have to subsidize the rates through tax money," said Assistant General Manager Bernie Cooper.
Selectman Mike Lyons said he's never happy to raise rates, but he understands the rationale.
"I see this is as a math problem, and it's a bill we have to pay," said Lyons.
But selectmen Tom McQuaid and Helen Donohue want officials to go back to the drawing board and come up with some different options.
McQuaid believes the rates should be changed to charge larger water users more money, which in turn, would mean the average residential ratepayer would pay less.
"It seems to me that we're all trying to conserve water and promote conservation, so I would think the larger users should pay more," said McQuaid.
Carroll said larger water users already do pay more as the town bills on a sliding scale, but McQuaid wants to further increase rates for larger user.
Donohue is frustrated with the MWRA assessment, which is roughly $8.6 million, and believes the authority is spending too much money and asking ratepayers to pay the bill.
"We have to give the government the message that people are saying 'No more,"' said Donohue. "They have to stop spending."
Carroll, who is also a member of the MWRA board of directors, said the authority is spending money on projects like the new MetroWest water supply tunnel, the Boston Harbor cleanup and covering outdoor water storage facilities.
Selectmen Chairman Bill Plasko said he hopes to have a small committee meet to go over the rate-setting rationale, crunch the numbers and get back to selectmen possibly as early as tomorrow's meeting.
Brian Falla can be reached at 781-433-8339 or at bfalla@cnc.com.
