🔨 Drowning in water & sewer
Preview of this Week’s Council Meeting | Road Construction Updates | Community Events | The Civic Week Ahead
Happy National Nurses Day, Framingham! Every day should be a day of recognition for these very special people. I am the proud granddaughter and niece of nurses. Thank you all for everything you do to keep us healthy and well!
In this week’s newsletter, I am talking about an issue that has been brewing for months. Have you checked your water and sewer bill lately?
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What is going on with water and sewer bills?
It seems for most of the 21st century, Framingham cannot get out of its own way when it comes to water and sewer issues.
Drowning in debt: During COVID, Framingham saw cracks in the water billing system. Water usage and billing was out of whack, which then greatly increased the deficit in both the water and sewer enterprise funds.
December 2020 brought a debt crisis when Mayor Spicer alerted the Council about the $2.5 million deficit that needs to be fixed before the city could send out tax bills. Seven months later, the Spice Administration needed more money to address another deficit in the same funds.
ARPA money was used to balance the budget. But as time went by, it became more clear, according to a memo from former CFO Louise Miller, that the issue was actually structural and not caused by the pandemic. With overall consumption declining nearly 5% in 5 years and predating the pandemic, most of the decline occurred among commercial properties.
Mayor Sisitsky raised the rates by 16% in 2022.
Drip, drip, drip: Last year a litany of disasters were discovered: broken meters that haven’t been replaced in years, broken or incorrectly programmed meter reading devices, and issues with the then-supplier of meters and meter reading devices. All of this impacted our bills.
So everything is good now, right? Wrong. In that same memo Miller sent when she left Framingham, she pointed out roughly 1500 of 3000 multifamily units are being incorrectly billed for water and sewer rates. (Honestly, you cannot make this up…)
Ironically this issue was discovered when a broken meter was replaced in a condo complex. According to Miller’s interview with the MetroWest Daily News, “After we replaced the water meter, they were being billed at the normal billing structure, and it turned out they had been receiving a discount prior to the meter being replaced.”
Okay, how does this work? All buildings are billed within a tiered system. Tiers are based on the size and units of water and sewer usage. The more water you use = higher the tier. Higher the tier = higher the rate.
Some have a single meter for the entire complex and when read, divides the number of units and comes up with a factor of the average use per unit. Putting them in the same tier with single family homes.
Time for the Wayback Machine: The new tiered water and sewer rates, along with eliminating the factor for multifamily units, was approved by the Board of Selectmen on July 12, 2007. Sisitsky was a member of the BOS at the time. However, it appears the factor was not fully eliminated.
The unknowns: It is unclear who has the factor, and who doesn’t. At the District 1 & 3 community meeting back in February, DPW Director Bob Lewis was asked if there was a list of properties. He said all people had to do was ask for it. It was asked for, and the document made it to the Finance Subcommittee…without any addresses and you need a decoder ring to figure out what the spreadsheet means. A Freedom of Information Act request for more information was filed, and the city came back with “no response document found.”
What we do know: Windsor Green in Nobscot was paying at a tier 1 rate then tier 3 in March 2023 - almost double the rate. The condo association was told it was a mistake in September and the city would refund $172,000 but has yet to do so.
Now what?: Councilors Adam Steiner and Christine Long have asked about the status of the factor and the rates. Mayor Sisitsky, in the January meeting, stated the plan is to equalize the water bills so “everybody is on the same plane when we set water rates in June.” That an evaluation will be performed before the water rate hearing next month.
Meanwhile, a call to action from the New England Chapter of the Community Association Institute is making the rounds on Facebook, urging Framingham condo owners to reach out to city officials to fairly bill condo owners for water and sewer.
Next steps: Water and sewer rates will be set in June and there will be a public hearing. Hopefully, we will see a breakdown of what is going on and proposals to fix the issue before then.
Did you experience a major increase in your water bill? Do you live in an apartment or condo? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Preview of this Week’s Council Meeting
Council meets this Tuesday, May 7 in the Blumer Room at the Memorial Building. Here are some highlights on the agenda:
Executive Session: Like last meeting, Tuesday’s meeting starts at 6:30pm in Executive Session, meaning it isn’t a public meeting due to the topic.
According to the agenda, the topic is “to consider the purchase, exchange, lease or value of real property where the Chair declares that an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the negotiating position of the City.”
Farley Solar Panels: Energize Framingham makes a presentation about putting solar panels on the Farley Building.
I have not written about the capital improvement plan yet - that is next week’s issue - but the plan for fiscal year 2025 was drastically reduced in March 2024 from what was published in November 2023. In the March 12 Finance Subcommittee meeting, the Mayor said the previous plan was “trashed” and his Administration drafted a new plan in line with the longtime policy of spending no more than 5% of the Operating Budget on annual debt service.
Three sustainability projects were cut from the FY25 capital plan: Farley solar panels, citywide solar alternative energy and resiliency plan, and adding electric vehicles to the city fleet.
The Farley solar project has been on the docket since FY22, but keeps getting pushed.
Cost to install solar panels: $1,750,000
The Farley project was discussed at the April 9th Finance Subcommittee with the Administration saying the payback time of 10-11 years. But the Gale Associates/Solar Design Associates feasibility study requested by FPS says the payback is 4.8 years. There are many federal and state grants and programs that can reduce the cost of the installation.
The study also said the first year would see $157,000 in electric savings, and $172,928 by year 5.
Energize Framingham is a group of citizens advocating for a more sustainable community. Attached to the agenda is a petition of more than 400 signatures asking the Sisitsky Administration to reconsider deferring the Farley project.
Selling landlocked property?: #7 on the agenda is a vague one:
“Upon request of the Mayor, a discussion with the Council regarding the potential to sell parcel 105-90-1190-000, off Goodnow Lane, as shown on the current Assessor’s map.”
There is no background material on this topic.
As you can see in the map below, the 9.38 acre property is landlocked. To the west is the MassPike, to the east is the Framingham Country Club and houses. In the middle of the property is a pond. Other parcels around it are owned by family trusts, the Turnpike Authority and Sudbury Valley Trustees. Framingham acquired the lane in 2006.
Community Preservation Committee’s Recommendations for FY24 Projects: Second and final reading to approve the recommendations.
Road Construction Updates
An update on our favorite past time: road construction. The City made two major updates today.
Let’s start with Union Avenue:
We have a projected completion date! Mark those calendars for September 11, 2024.
Proctor to Walnut Street section is scheduled to be paved from May 21 to May 23. Work right now is being done to prepare for the paving, like curb installation and sidewalk work.
New traffic signals at Union Avenue and Mt. Wayte is on, and the new ones at Walnut Street and at Lincoln Street are going live in the upcoming weeks. Stay tuned for that.
Now onto the newest project, Edgell & Central:
Utility work began last week and will continue this week, though weather may cause delays.
Cutting of the curb will begin after the utility work is completed. Following this the existing island will be removed.
As always, expect delays.
Community Events
Learn about the Water Senior Discount Program: Speaking of water bills, the Callahan Center is holding a session on Tuesday, May 7 at 2 p.m. to learn more about this program and how water billing and metering works. Please bring your ID and your 2023 tax return if you would like to apply. Staff will be on hand to help seniors.
Framingham Garden Club Plant Sale: A highlight of the spring and right before Mother’s Day. The FGC will have annuals, perennials, native plants, Houseplants & Hanging Pots for purchase. This Saturday, May 11 from 9am-1pm at Cushing Park Maintenance Building. Entrance on Winter St. @ Keefe Tech. Keep bearing left. last small building on right.
Memorial Day Flag Placing: Volunteers are needed to help place flags at graves of Veterans in Framingham cemeteries on Saturday, May 18. Meet at 9 a.m. Edgell Grove Cemetery. If interested, please contact the Framingham Veteran Services Department by emailing klang@framinghamma.gov
Annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day: Bring your hazardous waste to be properly disposed at the Public Works Operations Center at 100 Western Avenue on Saturday, May 11 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Proof of residency will be required to attend this event.
Commercial waste will not be accepted.
Residents can bring: pesticides, herbicides, bug sprays, rodent poisons, paint thinner, urethanes, oil-based paint, enamel paint, lead-based paint, pool and spa chemicals, concentrated fertilizers, cleaning solvents, caustic cleaners, degreasers, photo chemicals, oil gasoline, kerosene, diesel oil, aerosol cans containing paint and mercury-containing devices
The Civic Week Ahead
Monday, May 6
Tuesday, May 7
Wednesday, May 8
Thursday, May 9
In Closing…
This little newsletter keeps growing - thank you for sharing it with people! Next week I’m diving into the capital budget, economic development and an update on the MBTA Communities Act. Let me know if there is something I’m missing or you’d like to see.
Have a great week,
Mary Kate