Water Commission votes 7.5% rate increase

Water · Meeting of October 1, 2026

Mendon Water Commission approved a 7.5 percent rate increase rather than pass along Hopedale's full 10 percent wholesale hike. Chairman Kevin Rudden and Commissioner Douglas Hartman voted 2-0 for the increase, with Commissioner Vincent Roy absent due to a work emergency. The board also voted 2-0 to pass through a 10 percent rise in Hopedale's capital fee, taking it from $52.81 to $58.09 per quarter.

Clerk Dan Byer said the Hopedale increase will add roughly $12,000 a year in costs across the system's 153 connections. Hartman said he is "really getting pinched as a senior" by recent local tax increases and pushed to keep the hike as low as possible for homeowners. The commission also reported nine accounts headed for lien notices and a fiscal 2026 enterprise fund deficit of $708 tied to a billing-timing correction.

In the full story:

• Call to Order and Attendance
• Public Hearing: Hopedale Rate Increase and Mendon Rate Response
• Billing, Liens and Enterprise Fund Financials
• Water Study Update: Lower Providence Road Source
• New Connections and the Hopedale Memorandum of Understanding
• Water Operator RFP and Lab Testing Options
• Infrastructure: Water Meters, Curb Stop and Billing Frequency
• Next Meeting
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,052 words

Source: the Water meeting of October 1, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.