Ashland Select Board Imposes Utility Late Fees, Seeks Higher Bank Interest Rate

Board of Selectmen · Meeting of May 4, 2026

Ashland Select Board activates long-dormant utility late fees and eyes bank switch to triple interest earnings. The board voted unanimously Monday to begin charging 1.5 percent monthly interest on utility bills unpaid after 30 days, a penalty that had been authorized in town warrant language for years but never enacted. The town manager, identified only as Ron, told the board uncollected monthly utility balances have already dropped from roughly $190,000 to between $30,000 and $50,000, and said the interest charge is "the next step" in keeping the town among the cheapest utilities in Massachusetts.

Ron also presented a one-month comparison showing the town earned $2,637.67 in March at its current bank rate of 0.96 percent, while Bank of New Hampshire's proposed rate of 3.45 percent would have yielded $9,508.44 on the same balances. The board directed Ron to ask the town's current bank to match the offer before making any switch, with a report expected at a future meeting once the treasurer, who was on vacation, has reviewed the proposal.

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Source: the Board of Selectmen meeting of May 4, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.