Southwick Select Board holds lowest sewer tier flat, raises upper tiers 2.5 percent

SOUTHWICK -- March 23, 2026, Southwick Select Board approves tiered sewer rate increase and advances budget calendar toward town meeting. The board voted 3-0 Monday to hold the lowest usage tier flat while raising the second and third sewer tiers by 2.5 percent each for fiscal 2027, a structure board member Ross Anderson described as "building on retained earnings" without forcing an immediate rate shock on low-volume customers. DPW representative Rich Maltinac told the board that a retiring debt instrument, Sewer Loan 30, eliminates roughly $79,600 in annual principal and interest, producing a projected surplus of about $26,000 while the town's $303,000 general-fund subsidy cap, set in 2024, remains in place. Five pump stations face replacement costs estimated at roughly $600,000 each, with the first need anticipated around fiscal 2029 or 2030. The board also approved holding the boat ramp attendant rate at $16.50 per hour, authorized conditional advertising for a library summer page position, and approved a sewer senior minimum-charge exemption at 23 Bonneview Road. In a separate briefing, Dan and Nancy Kotowitz of Shaker Farms presented historical maps showing a road alignment, Pond Hollow Road, they contend was formally embedded in their earth excavation special permit as a future access route, with an adjacent parcel owned by Eileen Shaker identified as potentially landlocked if the corridor is not resolved.