Somerville 15% Water and Sewer Hike

The City of Somerville said on Friday, May 22, that it is proposing a 15% increase in water volumetric charges and a 15% increase in sewer volumetric charges for fiscal 2027, with no change to base charges. The city scheduled a public hearing for Thursday, May 28, at 6 p.m. to review the plan, which officials said is larger than the annual adjustments residents typically see. City officials said the added revenue is meant to pay for water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure work, including federally mandated combined sewer overflow controls and flood-mitigation projects. The hearing will be held in person at the Highlander Forum at Somerville High School, 81 Highland Ave., and online by Zoom. ### What exactly is the city proposing to raise? The proposal released by Somerville’s Water & Sewer Department would increase revenue from water volumetric charges by 15% and revenue from sewer volumetric charges by 15%, while leaving existing base charges unchanged. That means the increase is aimed at usage-based portions of bills rather than the fixed charge listed on every account, according to the city’s May 22 notice. (somervillema.gov) Friday’s city notice did not publish a single sample bill for every household type, but it did frame the change as a revenue increase tied to metered use. Residents who use more water would therefore see a larger dollar effect than customers with lower consumption, based on the city’s description of the proposal. That is an inference from the billing structure the city described. (somervillema.gov) ### Why does Somerville say it needs a larger increase this year? Somerville officials said the fiscal 2027 proposal is “higher than is typical” because the city needs to cover the cost of the federally mandated combined sewer overflow control plan and other flood-mitigation efforts across the city. The same notice said the increase is also meant to support essential improvements to water, sewer and stormwater drainage infrastructure while maintaining reliable service. (somervillema.gov) A June 12, 2025 city presentation on the water and sewer enterprise fund described a system that includes 116 miles of water mains, 183 miles of sewer mains, more than 4,800 manholes, more than 3,600 catch basins and more than 1,600 fire hydrants. That presentation also said many underground water pipes date to the late 1800s and that maintenance and material costs have been rising. (somervillema.gov) ### How does this fit into Somerville’s broader utility cost pressures? The 2025 city presentation said Somerville generated about 51,000 water and sewer bills a year and managed roughly 16,000 accounts and water meters, with billing expected to rise to about 67,000 bills annually after a move to quarterly billing in fiscal 2027. The same document said the department was handling growing administrative demands, final bill requests tied to property sales, and bill-dispute research. (s3.amazonaws.com) That presentation also listed operational demands across the system, including 59 emergency water responses in fiscal 2025, more than 244 Q-alert or 311 sewer requests, more than 2,500 Dig Safe requests and 46 sewer backups. City officials did not tie each of those items directly to the new rate proposal in the May 22 notice, but the figures show the scale of the utility system the department is funding. (s3.amazonaws.com) ### Where and when can residents weigh in? The public hearing is scheduled for Thursday, May 28, at 6 p.m. at the Highlander Forum at Somerville High School, and the city said that location is a change from Franey Road. Virtual participation will be available through Zoom, with webinar ID 870 9214 3821, according to the city notice. (s3.amazonaws.com) Written comments can be sent by email to the Water & Sewer Department or by mail to 17 Franey Road in Somerville, and the city said comments must be received by 12 p.m. on May 28 to be conveyed during the hearing. The city also said residents can request language interpretation through 311 or languageaccess@somervillema.gov and disability accommodations through the ADA coordinator. (somervillema.gov) ### What happens after the hearing? May 28 is the next concrete milestone in the process because that is when residents can testify in person or online and when written comments close at noon. The city’s May 22 notice described the session as a hearing to review proposed fiscal 2027 rates, but it did not say in that notice when a final vote or implementation date would occur. (somervillema.gov) Somerville’s Water & Sewer Department said the hearing begins at 6 p.m. on May 28 at Somerville High School, with comments due earlier that day, making that meeting the next formal step in the proposed rate increase. (somervillema.gov)