Stonington Board of Finance approves $10 million in sewer system repairs.

First selectman says town officials did not make costly decision lightly

Stonington — Board of Finance members on Tuesday unanimously approved a plan to bond $10 million to pay for what town officials say are critical repairs to the town’s three sewer plants and 17 pumping stations.

While taxpayers typically would have voted on the bond at referendum, that vote was replaced by a Board of Finance approval due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An executive order by Gov. Ned Lamont has allowed municipalities to make such decisions without town meeting or referendum votes.

The tax increase due to the bond for the owner of a median priced — $318,000 — home, will be $21 a year over the 20-year life of the bond, beginning with the 2021-22 budget.

Water Pollution Control Authority members have said the system is at a point where equipment is failing and more problems are expected. These would not only be costly but could result in the town violating its discharge permits and the state issuing fines and ordering the town to make repairs. Failures also could pose environmental threats to the Mystic River, Pawcatuck River and Stonington Harbor.

Before Tuesday’s vote, First Selectman Danielle Chesebrough said town officials did not make the costly decision lightly. She said the operation of the sewer system impacts the local economy, keeps the waterways clean and protects recreational activities such as fishing and shellfishing.

She pointed out that during a virtual public hearing on the bond earlier this month, 14 people or organizations submitted letters in favor of the bonding, while one letter came from a resident who suggested the town look at an alternative way to finance the work.

Before the vote, finance board member Mike Fauerbach said that while the town cannot afford to have its sewer infrastructure fail, the $10 million in repairs are not the long-term solution to addressing the town’s three old sewer treatment plants. In 2010, town residents approved an $18.3 million plan to upgrade the three plants.

“We need to spend the time and money on exploring the feasibility of consolidating our facilities (into a single plant),” he said.

The town has studied the issue in the past, and finance board member Lynn Young, who also serves on the Water Pollution Control Authority, said Tuesday that $700,000 is set to be allocated in the third year of the bond to create a facilities plan that would look at options for the future, such as a new plant.

In 2002, the WPCA recommended residents approve a $37 million plan to build a single plant, behind Stonington High School, to serve the entire town. In 2005, the WPCA withdrew the plan following opposition from residents.