The Woodstock Town Selectboard on Monday evening agreed on a plan that calls for 100% of the allocation of payments for a proposed $35 million wastewater treatment plant bond issue to be borne by users of the sewer system served by the municipality’s main treatment facility.
The financial impact of the expected sewer fee hike on system users will be blunted somewhat by the town’s plan to use one percent of receipts from a local options tax annually, plus potential capital reserve funds to defray a portion of the bond repayment expenses each year. Non-users of the sewer system will not be assessed for any of the costs of repaying the 30-year bond debt if it is okayed by voters on Town Meeting Day on March 3.
A $1 million Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) grant that has been awarded to the town will also be applied towards the renovation of the wastewater facility, further helping to allay some of the cost of the plant upgrade to sewer ratepayers. The grant, which was officially announced in a press release from Woodstock municipal manager Eric Duffy on Tuesday afternoon, was secured through the office of U.S. Senator Peter Welch. Harry Falconer of the Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission (TRORC) and Jenevra Wetmore of Sustainable Woodstock assisted the Town of Woodstock in submitting the application for the grant
Between now and Town Meeting Day, Woodstock residents can learn more about the wastewater plant project and the $35 million bond proposal by attending upcoming public information sessions and selectboard meetings.
For more on this, please see our Jan. 29 edition of the Vermont Standard.
