Ayer Board Raises Water and Sewer Rates, Revives $1 Million Business Loan Fund

AYER -- March 17, 2026, Ayer Select Board unanimously approves FY27 water and sewer rate increases and reactivates a dormant $1 million business loan authority. Acting on the recommendation of its rate review committee, the board voted to raise water rates 3 percent and sewer rates 4 percent effective July 1, 2026, adding approximately $20 to a typical annual residential bill; quarterly water minimums rise to $10.93 and sewer minimums to $11.76. DPW Director Dan Vinskey cited PFAS-driven treatment restrictions at Grove Pond and ongoing debt service from a 44-year-old wastewater plant upgrade as the primary cost drivers, while noting a Clearwell storage tank project expected this spring should restore full pumping capacity and increase revenue. The board also voted unanimously to separate $1 million in Urban Development Action Grant funds into a dedicated account for the Industrial Development Financing Authority, a business loan program dormant since 2020 that issued more than $2 million in loans from its original $1 million seed since 1994; the UDAG account currently holds $2.25 million and earned $168,000 in investment income in FY25. Separately, the board signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with NextGen Energy for an energy resilience feasibility study and issued a letter of commitment supporting a regional MVP Action Grant application, worth up to $5 million, being led by the town of Harvard, which could fund the study at no cost to Ayer.