Board of Water Commissioners rescind town manager directive on rate study scope.
Board of Water Commissioners · Meeting of September 10, 2026
West Newbury Board of Water Commissioners unanimously rescind Interim Town Manager directive on consultant scope. Chair Robert Janes, Members John Haley and Mark Hemingway voted to require Tighe & Bond to proceed only with the original contracted rate study and master plan scope at the approved cost, directing Superintendent Mark Marlowe to notify the consultant's project lead immediately. The board also faces a $45,000 FY2027 budget shortfall after Newburyport applied an 18 percent increase to its Tier 1 water rate, rising to $8.85 per 100 cubic feet; Haley offered to draft a Town Meeting article requesting use of retained earnings and a contingency account to absorb the increase.
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Source: the Board of Water Commissioners meeting of September 10, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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