NORWOOD – Town officials are sounding the alarm over a proposed legislative bill they say would “steal” money from local ratepayers to fund unrelated projects in central Massachusetts.
During Tuesday’s Board of Selectmen meeting, Town Manager Tony Mazzucco presented a draft letter addressed to the state legislature, forcefully opposing a potential 10% to 14% increase in MWRA water rates. The hike is tied to a proposed trust fund that officials argue is essentially a “transfer tax” on the Greater Boston area.
The legislation at the center of the controversy, titled “An Act relative to the Quabbin watershed and regional equity,” seeks to establish the Quabbin Host Community Trust Fund. Under the terms of the bill, the MWRA would be required to deposit $35 million annually into the fund, a figure that would be indexed to inflation over time. Of course, those costs would be passed on to the individual ratepayers that MWRA supplies with drinking water.
Evidently, the towns that surround the Quabbin and indirectly affected by MWRA operations, claim Boston area communities are not paying their fair share toward the conservation stabilization for the area. Thus, this bill calls for an “equitable partnership” between the local communities and MWRA. Bob Agoglia, a Select Board Member from the town of Pelham, Massachusetts, claims money collected from Boston area communities would help them offset the cost they incur while maintaining the reservoir, according to an open letter he and many of his western Mass counterparts signed to accompany the bill as it moves through the State House (read the open letter below).
The Quabbin Reservoir is one of the largest unfiltered water supplies in the U.S., and is a primary source of high quality water for the Boston metro area. The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) supplies and maintains the vast water system of which it relies.
While the bill’s title suggests a move toward fairness, Mazzucco was quick to point out that the financial burden falls squarely on the shoulders of MWRA communities.
“There’s this misnomer… that we get free water from the Quabbin,” Mazzucco stated during the meeting. “Last time I checked, we all pay a water bill. We pay to treat the water, pay for the staff to fix the system, and install the meters. There is no free lunch here.”
One of the most contentious points raised was the lack of restrictions on how the $35 million would be spent by those western Massachusetts communities. According to the bill, the funds could be used for general municipal needs including anything from infrastructure to simply lowering local property tax rates. Mazzucco characterized the bill as a “transfer tax that’s epic in proportions,” and called the proposal “completely inequitable.”
If this bill passes, Norwood residents could see a rate increase from 10–14% for local households.
The good news is Norwood Selectmen are not planning to sit idly by. Board Chair Amanda Grow suggested inviting the Executive Director of the MWRA Advisory Board to a future meeting to coordinate a broader regional defense.
Furthermore, once final edits to the town’s opposition letter are complete, members of the Board expressed a desire to deliver the message in person. “We might want to take a field trip down [to the State House],” Grow noted, “to continue to make our presence visible.”
The letter is expected to be sent within the next two weeks to the relevant legislative committees and the town’s local delegation to ensure the bill doesn’t “slide through” without a fight.
Our attempts for comment from Town Manager Tony Mazzucco, and/or a copy of his letter went unanswered. -RD
