The Basin Water and Sewer Board has proposed raising monthly water rates from $60 to $63, and sewer rates from $20 to $21, in order to help fund a pending $1.5 million improvements project. Public hearings on the rate changes are scheduled to take place on Mar. 19 and 22, at 6:30 p.m. at Basin’s Community Hall.
Of the project’s total costs, $266,000 are included for a new well to be built north of Basin, $780,000 for improvements to the existing distribution network, $260,000 for legal and administrative fees, and an additional $209,000 reserved for unforeseen expenditures. The project’s timeline was extended to 2027 after a grant application, completed by Triple Tree Engineering, was rejected by the Montana Department of Commerce due to Basin requiring sponsorship from Jefferson County, as it is not an incorporated town.
The proposed increase is the second since 2021, when all four previous members of the Basin Water and Sewer Board abruptly resigned from their positions after being served with recall petitions that accused them of violating their oaths of office, incompetence, and official misconduct.
