AMHERST — Town Manager Paul Bockelman is proposing sizable increases in water and sewer rates, which if adopted would add $211 to the $1,033 annual bill for an average homeowner.

The recommendation for the adjusted rates, delivered to the Town Council last week, would increase bills by just over 20%, to $1,244 a year, for residents who have both town water and town sewer. The average household uses 9,200 cubic feet of water in a year.

The water rate would go from $5.25 per 100 cubic feet to $6.45 per 100 cubic feet and the sewer rate would go from $5.85 per 100 cubic feet to $6.95 per 100 cubic feet beginning on July 1. Those changes represent charges for water users rising by nearly 23% and charges for sewer users rising by almost 19%, with the increase for water users being about $9.17 per month and for sewer users being about $8.44 per month.

Councilors referred the water and sewer rates proposal to the Finance Committee for discussion and a recommendation.

In his memo, Bockelman explains that the changes will deal with rising electricity costs in both departments, and cost-of-living and step increases and health insurance adjustments for employees. The increase is more than three times the $57 year-over-year increase that went into effect in July 2024.

But Bockelman wrote that, compared to other cities and towns in the region, Amherst’s rates are lower.

“It is important to note that, for many years, the town’s water and sewer rates have been lower than neighboring communities,” Bockelman wrote.

He cited that the projected $1,244 average bill is in line with the $1,204 expected to be paid by Hadley residents next fiscal year, and is below the $1,274 paid by Easthampton residents, the $1,283 paid by Northampton residents and $1,635 paid by Belchertown residents this year.

A continued trend is the 2% annual drop in water consumption, which means that rates have to go up to cover the fixed expenses that remain. The town also needs to pay for projects, such as the $21.5 million Centennial Water Treatment Facility in Pelham and the $3.3 million gravity belt thickener and reuse water initiative at the sewer plant.

The proposed Water Department operating budget is $7 million, with a major water specific increase being a doubling of what is spent on capital improvements, and the Sewer Department operating budget is $6.99 million, with a major sewer specific increase being the higher sludge removal costs.

While councilors have suggested other tactics to bill users, these aren’t being explored since Finance Director Melissa Zawadzki has left the position.

“The Town Council expressed interest in exploring other ways to bill users, including block rates and fixed charge with variable charge,” Bockelman wrote. “This work has been put on hold due to the departure of the town’s finance director.”

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.