Sewer Board Sets Fee, Defers Rate Hike Decision
Wareham's sewer board held rates flat while warning of a future hike to cover wastewater debt.
Water · Meeting of August 13, 2026
Wareham's sewer board held rates flat while warning of a future hike to cover wastewater debt. The Board of Sewer Commissioners voted unanimously to set the first-half fiscal 2027 sewer usage fee at $3,686,459.19, slightly below last year's $3,730,088.27, after a nursing home's conversion reduced usage. Sewer Superintendent Scott Crehansel told the board a full-step correction for an $800,000 shortfall tied to debt on a $36 million wastewater project would mean roughly a 22 percent increase, which the board said it wants to phase gradually "without further public engagement" first, in Chair Jim Giberti's words.
Crehansel also reported a faulty odor-control panel has pushed the headworks system's startup to early September, with a Board of Health hearing on neighbor odor complaints set for August 19. Select Board liaison Judy spent much of the workshop walking commissioners through the town charter and open meeting law, telling them "if it's not on the agenda, you cannot discuss it."
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 3,254 words
Source: the Water meeting of August 13, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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