Cheshire Town Council Reviews Public Works and Wastewater Budgets at Remote Site Meeting
Town Council · Meeting of March 25, 2025
CT CHESHIRE — Cheshire Town Council workshopped Public Works and wastewater budgets at the town treatment plant, flagging more than $500,000 in combined operating increases. Budget Committee Chair Jim Jinks and department heads walked the council through a 4.78 percent, or $361,232, increase in Public Works driven largely by a renegotiated solid waste contract with hauler AJ and a new monthly bulky waste drop-off program estimated at $50,000 in tipping fees — compared with a curbside alternative priced at up to $280,000. The Water Pollution Control Department is seeking a $145,000, or 8.7 percent, increase, including a shift of $115,000 in recurring equipment replacement costs from capital to operating.
A newly installed flow meter at the state correctional facility showed storm-event flows of 650 gallons per minute against an expected 300, prompting Wastewater Superintendent Merrick to suggest the town has been undercharging the prison and may pursue a remediation demand. The council received word mid-meeting that Fitch reaffirmed Cheshire's bond rating with a stable outlook; a bond sale is set for April 2.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 1,098 words
Source: the Town Council meeting of March 25, 2025, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
CHESHIRE — March 25, 2025 — The Cheshire Town Council held a budget workshop at the town's wastewater treatment facility Tuesday, reviewing proposed increases in the Public Works, Public Properties, and Water Pollution Control budgets while flagging a range of cost pressures from a renegotiated waste-hauling contract to aging HVAC systems and a state prison's potential role in a sewer infiltration problem.
Budget Committee Chair Jim Jinks led the session, joined by Public Works Director Dan and Wastewater Superintendent Merrick, who walked council members through department-by-department line items. No formal votes were taken. The workshop was part of an ongoing series the council is conducting ahead of a final budget adoption.
The Full Story
The Public Works budget, beginning on page 117 of the budget book, carries a proposed 4.78 percent increase — $361,232 over the prior year's operating appropriation. Public Properties is up 6.5 percent, or $86,217. The largest single driver of the Public Works increase is the solid waste line, where officials are building in roughly $50,000 in anticipated tipping fees and about $10,000 in overtime to support a new monthly bulky waste drop-off at the transfer station. The plan would run the bulky collection in tandem with existing monthly electronics and mattress recycling events rather than resuming a town-wide curbside bulky pickup, which had been estimated at $255,000 to $280,000 for a single collection.
"The $50,000 in anticipated costs for this bulky waste itself in the roughly $9,000 — we'll call it for overtime — is considerably lower than your bulky collection, which you'd anticipated closer to $255,000 to $280,000." [No timestamp index provided] — Jim Jinks, Town Council Vice Chair and Budget Committee Chair
Curbside collection costs are also rising because of a renegotiated contract with hauler AJ. Officials said the recycling fee alone is jumping from a fixed maximum of $35 per ton to $45 per ton in year one of the new agreement — a roughly 29 percent increase on that line. Combined curbside collection and tonnage disposal fees account for more than $2 million in the solid waste budget. Council members discussed the cost-per-household math: dividing total collection costs across serviced units produces an average annual cost to the residential taxpayer of approximately $220, compared with private-contractor rates of roughly $400 in communities without municipal collection.
The Public Properties increase is driven almost entirely by utilities. Officials cited an Eversource proposal to the state public utilities regulator for a roughly 25 percent increase on the delivery side of gas and electric bills. Town utilities consultant advice was to budget for a 10 to 15 percent increase as a hedge. That guidance produced the $77,466 increase to the utilities line. The electricity supply contract runs through the end of calendar year 2025, covering approximately six months of the proposed fiscal year budget. Council member David Veleber asked whether the town pays the public benefits charge that appears on standard residential Eversource bills; staff said they would research the question.
On the wastewater side, the Water Pollution Control Department is requesting a $145,000 increase — about 8.7 percent — which Wastewater Superintendent Merrick said represents needs, not wants. A significant shift underlies the numbers: a recurring $300,000 annual capital budget request for pump and equipment replacement is being migrated to operating, but only $115,000 of that amount is being brought over this year given broader budget constraints. Merrick also reported that the department has installed a flow meter at the state correctional facility on the system, and early readings show the prison may be contributing far more flow than previously assumed — as much as 650 gallons per minute after storms, versus an expected base of roughly 300 gallons per minute. Officials said that finding could support a future billing dispute and a demand for infrastructure repairs.
"Based on the numbers we're getting, we probably were still undercharging them. But I don't know that now. At least now we get a full reading each and every year." [No timestamp index provided] — Merrick, Wastewater Superintendent
Council members also raised concerns about field-use fees. Council Chair Peter Talbot noted that a cost-versus-revenue analysis of town athletic fields has never been done, and Public Works Director Dan acknowledged the gap is considerable — other comparable towns not only recover maintenance costs from user fees but fund capital replacements through those revenue streams. Jinks suggested the council could direct the Parks and Recreation Commission to develop an amended fee schedule by July 1 targeted at generating new special revenue, particularly from out-of-town leagues and from lighting charges tied to scheduled field use.
"We're looking for any possible revenue stream that can help. This is certainly a year that we need to do that." [No timestamp index provided] — Jim Jinks, Vice Chair
On capital, officials flagged several projects deferred to later years to limit new referendum bond questions. The pavement management program was cut from a department request of just over $2 million to $400,000 in new appropriations for the upcoming fiscal year; when combined with an existing $2.1 million carryover earmarked for the 2025 paving program, the total available for road work comes to roughly $700,000 after this season's estimated $1.8 million program. A $350,000 HVAC replacement at the wastewater administration building — which has been without functioning heat since late October and has consumed $40,000 in failed repairs — was moved to year two in the capital plan but the wastewater superintendent asked that it be reinstated in year one. A design-only line of $40,000 for East Mitchell Road reconstruction was cut to year two; Merrick and Jinks both indicated support for moving it back to year one given the road's deteriorating condition.
Why It Matters
Cheshire residents will feel the budget pressure directly through their tax bills. The solid waste, utility, and wastewater increases alone add more than $390,000 to operating costs before any other departmental increases are counted — all against a backdrop of a bond ratings review that Jinks said flagged the town's growing capital debt load as a concern. The council received word during the meeting that Fitch reaffirmed the town's bond rating with a stable outlook; a Standard and Poor's rating was still pending as of Tuesday. The next bond sale is scheduled for April 2, which officials said will lock in interest savings already built into the proposed budget. The council has additional budget workshop sessions scheduled before final action, including a dedicated capital review night.
Key Motions & Votes
No formal votes taken at this meeting.
Source
Cheshire's community access TV: Town Council meeting, March 25, 2025