Wayland Board of Public Works Unanimously Approves New FY27 Water Rates

WAYLAND -- June 23, 2026, Wayland Board of Public Works sets new water rates for fiscal year 2027 in unanimous vote. The board approved a tiered rate schedule of $8, $11.50, $14, and $22 per unit for tiers one through four, raised the annual base fee from $60 to $80, and held the PFAS remediation surcharge at 7.5 percent, all taking effect July 1. Chair Michael Wegerbauer and financial consultant Matt Abrahams of the Abrahams Group updated the rate model on screen during the meeting after Director of Public Works Tom Holder reported a projected $110,000 FY26 budget underspend, reducing an earlier projected deficit by roughly $200,000 and leaving retained earnings on track at approximately $1.2 million. Select Board liaison Carol Martin argued the board should target a 25 percent retained earnings reserve, noting Moody's requires 25 to 40 percent for AAA-rated communities such as Wayland, but the board voted the 20 percent target, with members noting actual results have exceeded that figure for the past three years. Small residential users face a roughly 52 percent bill increase, driven primarily by the base fee doubling.