The Select Board voted unanimously Tuesday night to raise the water rate by 25% for the fiscal year beginning July 1 and to increase the sewer rate by 10% in order to provide quality water service for the town.

The board additionally voted to approve rate discounts for eligible residents of up to $200 a year for each service.

The Department of Public Works recommended the 25% water rate increase. For the average user, this will result in an annual cost of $53.96 per month. This amount differed from the Water & Sewer Advisory Board’s recommendation of a 10% increase, which would have led to an annual cost of $47.70 per month for the average user.

The town and the WSAB agreed with the need for a 10% sewer rate increase. This will cost the average user $77.78 each month. Town staff noted that a 5% rate increase had been recommended for FY 25, but the Select Board voted not to raise the rate then.

Consultant Matt Abrahams presented three options for each rate increase to the WSAB and the Select Board last month. The presentation extended projections through FY 35 and noted the impact of capital projects in determining potential future rate shifts.

“I think the key point is that both of these increases are [for] the first year of a 10-year plan to move the rates up to support what we know will be much higher capital expenses and operating expenses as we improve the water system,” said WSAB chair Paul Gallagher.

DPW Director Kerry Reed pointed out that the department’s task is to provide safe and reliable drinking water via an aging system. She said residents have asked for quarterly billing and new meters.

“To be able to do all these things that the residents have asked for, we need to be supported financially,” she said. “I personally think that it’s been under-invested so far.”

Both Reed and Chief Financial Officer Kyla LaPierre pointed out that DPW requests approved by Town Meeting for FY 25 had to be “voided out” and approved at the May 5 Annual Town Meeting because the DPW did not have the retained earnings to purchase them.

LaPierre added that the funds had to be borrowed from free cash, which must be repaid over the next two years.

Reed asked the board to “honor the town staff and our expertise” by approving the 25% rate increase.

“The debt that’s going to hit this town is going to happen over the next three to five years,” added LaPierre. “Our opportunity to increase our retained earnings should happen now.”

Member Matthew Kizner stressed that an enterprise fund is “meant to be self-sustaining.” He called the town’s borrowing for DPW expenses “an incredibly negative financial behavior” that caused the town to “violate its financial bylaws.”

The sewer rate was approved with little discussion. No one spoke during the public comment portion of the hearing.

State legislators give budget update

State Senate President Karen Spilka and Rep. James Arena-DeRosa appeared before the Select Board to discuss their work at the State House and how it impacts Hopkinton.

Spilka shared that the Legislature this week agreed on a supplemental budget that will put $1.4 billion collected from the millionaires tax into public education and public transportation statewide. She pointed out that the money will enable the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority to add more evening and weekend hours. The bill will be sent to Gov. Maura Healey’s desk by the end of the week for her signature.

The House and Senate are in the process of ironing out differences in the state’s FY 26 budget, she said. Some of the priorities she stressed include education, lowering the cost of prescription drugs and funding mental health support services. Local aid for communities increased by 2.2%.

Said Spilka: “We focused on delivering support to communities and vulnerable populations.”

Hopkinton was allocated $60,000 for enhanced accessibility at the Hopkinton Public Library, while Project Just Because will receive $100,000, she noted. In addition, Spilka advocated for $100,000 for the Hopkinton Public Schools to put toward mental health services.

“This is an area that I have really worked hard to try to pump more dollars and more resources into our schools to help our kids,” she said.

Spilka noted that the state is “bracing for uncertainty” because of proposed federal funding cuts. She is hoping to get the state sales tax removed from construction materials to help bolster housing construction. The Senate president also is pushing for a statewide ban on cell phone use by students in class.

Arena-DeRosa noted that the Legislature during the last session “passed the biggest tax cut in a generation.”

He said he continues to be concerned about Hopkinton’s issue with a group of chemicals known as PFAS. He met with the state fire marshal to learn about past state firefighter training in town where firefighting foam containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances was used. He learned that each town “did their own thing” until about 25 years ago. The state rep hopes to make a future special budgetary recommendation for communities where the trainings took place to assist them in their PFAS remediation efforts.

Arena-DeRosa said he got funding to move the statue of Bobbi Gibb, the first female Boston Marathon runner, to the Town Common.

Annual board appointments approved

The board approved all uncontested board appointments in a 4-0 vote.

Khwaja Ehsan and Jack Nealon were reappointed to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund board in a 4-1 vote. Kizner voted against the motion, noting that Jacqueline Crowe, another candidate, was not appointed because the board “chose to honor experience and not the new candidate.”

The board also appointed Sravana Krishna, Jordan Thayer and Wilson St. Pierre to the new Economic Development Advisory Board (EDAB) for three-year terms. Robert Hummel and Finley Perry were appointed to two-year terms. There were 10 applicants for five at-large positions.

Kelly Grill, the executive director of the Hopkinton Center for the Arts, was appointed to represent the Hopkinton Chamber of Commerce. The Planning Board has not yet chosen its representative.

Eagle Scouts honored

The Select Board honored Eagle Scouts Alex Stephan, Samuel Peace, Necalli Vela-Garcia, Ryan Pepin, Aniketh Mikkilineni and Aryan Samaga for their achievements.

Stephan and Peace attended the meeting and described their Eagle Scout projects. Stephan said he created “know your rights guides” for a legal nonprofit organization in Boston. He covered workers’ rights, health care rights and rights when interacting with police officers, then he translated the document into Spanish. Peace helped rebuild and expand the tomato garden at the Hopkinton Senior Center, which the center uses for its meal programs.

“This is something you should be proud of for the rest of your lives,” said member Brian Herr.