Charlton Water Commission Approves FY 2027 Budgets and $18,000 Rate Study

CHARLTON — January 7, 2026 — Charlton Water and Sewer Commission approves FY 2027 budgets and authorizes $18,000 rate study. The commission voted unanimously at its January 7 remote meeting to approve the sewer budget — with the Veolia North America annual contract line increased by $3,000 to buffer a disputed consumer price index billing discrepancy — and the water budget at $114,800. In a separate 4-0 vote, commissioners authorized consultant Mark Abrams to proceed with a system-wide rate study, with results expected by April 30, 2026. Manager Vincent Masterson flagged that Veolia's own signed approval documents show a 3.9 percent fee increase but actual invoices reflect 4.21 percent, a roughly $2,200 annual overcharge he called "a discrepancy in their accounting department." Commissioners also deferred a vote on privilege fees for a previously approved warehouse at 241 Sturbridge Road — $110,122.20 for water and $615,000 for sewer — pending a secondary review. Veolia Project Manager Dennis Flores reported that the failure of a single rotating biological contactor in December pushed effluent suspended-solids readings to 53 milligrams per liter, levels that would have caused permit violations in summer months, underscoring what Flores described as a plant "maxed out" with no redundancy to spare.