Lunenburg Sewer Commission previews 5 percent rate hike ahead of Saturday Town Meeting

LUNENBURG -- April 28, 2026, Lunenburg Sewer Commission reviews 5 percent user-rate increase set for Town Meeting presentation Saturday. Vice Chairman Scott Dahl presided at the April 28 hybrid meeting, with Chairman and DPW Director Bill Bernard both absent, as staff member Andrew Valeri walked commissioners through a slide presentation destined for the Annual Town Meeting on May 2. The 5 percent increase on sewer user rates is driven by rising disposal costs, shrinking betterment revenues, and a halt to retained-earnings draws; the minimum quarterly charge is not increasing, a deliberate policy choice Valeri said is intended to protect elderly and lower-income ratepayers at a time when the town is also seeking a Proposition 2 1/2 override. Separately, the commission learned that a sewer stub extension at 5 Ramgren Road was awarded to low bidder Bob Proctor at $4,800, with work expected to begin the following week, and that a months-long search for a missing pressure-line stub at 100 Laurel Lane will move to exploratory excavation, with Commissioner Dan Proctor offering to dig test holes while his equipment is working nearby.