Acting Superintendent Mark Lawhorne was on the hot seat as he presented to the Board details on the base charges recently implemented by the department.

By Jim Clark

At the latest regular meeting of the Somerville Board of Alderman on Thursday, September 22, Acting Superintendent of the Water and Sewer Enterprise Fund Mark Lawhorne presented answers to questions posed by the Board relating to unexpected increases in water rates.

Starting on July 1 of this year, a $60 fee was placed on water bills each quarter. A public outcry followed, with none being louder than that which issued from the Somerville Aldermanic Chamber.

Lawhorne addressed the Board’s concerns accordingly saying, “We have implemented these charges and rates in response to the collapse of our current sewer and water distribution system, to marginalize our antiquated method of assigning and collecting revenues, and to ensure our utility is aligned to industry standards and best practices.”

The Acting Superintendent assured the Board that the department has – in spite of severe criticism – been doing an exemplary job in striving to maintain quality service to the city and its residents.

“Our distribution system is old and failing,” Lawhorne explained. “As I said before, 75 percent of our mains are 100 years old or older. In 2016 we responded to far too many emergency breaks and leaks.”

According to Lawhorne, over the past three years the department has spent approximately $6.7 million on these emergencies. Additionally, more than $45 million has been spent on capital improvement projects over the last 6 or 7 years.

The reason that base charges are now being implemented, according to Lawhorne, is because the department “needs to change the way it does business as a utility” and raise the appropriate revenues necessary to ensure safe and efficient operation of sewer and water systems.

Lawhorne also emphasized the importance of seeing to the department’s needs in the future and the proper maintenance of the system’s infrastructure.

After Lawhorne’s presentation, the aldermen were invited to ask questions or offer their comments concerning the matter.

Ward 5 Alderman Mark Niedergang cut to the core issue in the minds of many who were present when he asked a certain general question: “I’ve read through the materials and they’re very impressive and they lay out a strong case, and I understand much better the situation. I guess I’m just wondering, why wasn’t all this done before the charges were applied?”

Niedergang acknowledged that a lot of good work was done, but it was unclear why the process went forward as it did. “The presentation was backwards,” according to Niedergang.

Board President William A. White agreed and stated that the issue should have been taken up during the budget discussions earlier in the year.

Lawhorne responded by admitting that they put the cart before the horse. “I can’t say enough how sorry I am about the process they went through,” he said. “We were dealing with certain budget numbers and trying to get this right the first time. To make sure that we had the right numbers and that the rate was at the right number to meet those obligations.”

A number of presentational info-graphics were shared by the Acting Superintendent breaking down the details of what the department felt was needed and why it felt that the base charges were necessary.

Consultants engaged by the department, Ed Bean and Toby Federer of Woodard & Curran, assisted in the presentation of information and took questions from the aldermen regarding the present and projected future state of the department’s funds.

After much discussion and questioning, the matter was referred to the Finance Committee for further study and review.