Newburyport Council Approves $2.5M Meter Bond, Adopts New Three-Tier Water Rate

NEWBURYPORT -- July 13, 2026, Newburyport City Council approves $2.5 million water meter bond and adopts a new three-tier water rate structure projected to raise average bills 7.5 percent. The council amended the original $3.076 million bond order after Councilor Delay obtained the winning vendor's price proposal and found it came in at $2.275 million, roughly $800,000 below the bond amount, with DPS Director Turner confirming the gap reflected about $300,000 for additional meters and $500,000 as a buffer for early installation. The three-tier rate structure, which reduces the tier-one threshold from 3,000 to 2,000 cubic feet per quarter and increases water rates roughly 17 percent in that tier, passed 9-2 over objections from Councilor Zed, who argued the model was built around $975,000 in debt service for the Lower Artichoke Dam, a project he called unrealistic in fiscal year 2027. The council also unanimously approved an amended letter inviting the mayor of Haverhill to meet and discuss the recent Merrimack River sewage contamination, softening its language on the floor and adding Mayor Reardon, state and federal delegations, and neighboring communities as signatories. Yankee Homecoming's 2026 festival application was referred to the Licenses and Permits Committee after arriving with missing signatures and maps showing the wrong event venue.