RUMFORD — Selectmen voted unanimously Thursday to increase sewer rates by $60 per unit, or about 18%, Board Chairman Chris Brennick said.

The board considered three options: $374, $386 and $400 per unit. It chose $386 per unit.

Brennick said the difference among each is how much goes into the sewer reserve account, which has $241,000. He said the lower option would add $90,270.

The account pays for maintenance and repairs for town pump stations, none of which has a backup generator or an outlet to plug in a portable generator, Town Manager Stacy Carter said. Work is planned on the stations over the next three to five years, he said.

Carter said the town’s bill from the Rumford-Mexico Sewerage District is $758,940 for this year.

The district’s 45-year-old treatment plant on River Road in Mexico handles sewage from Rumford, Mexico and Dixfield and needs over $25 million in upgrades, according to a preliminary engineering review.

Carter said Rumford’s bill for this year is $873,979.

“They’re gearing up for a major rebuild over there, and have most of their money secured through loans and grants.”

Carter noted the state average for sewer users is around $500. “Nonetheless, it’s a very large increase to the sewer user, but it’s really geared to getting that major rebuild done,” he said.

Tax Collector Tom Bourret agreed the rate hike is steep.

“This will definitely be a shock to local users because we’ve been historically low for the last two decades,” he said. “It’s almost irresponsible as a municipality to offer these low sewer rates.”

He said the average household in Bethel is paying between $550 and $600.

The board voted 5-0 to make the due dates for sewer bills March 15 for the first half and Aug. 15 for the second half. Interest on overdue bills will be 4% per year beginning Aug. 16.

District Supt. Roland Arsenault said the cost to operate and maintain the plant and infrastructure has become costly to the users of the system. He said not a day passes without equipment failures and system challenges.

He said a comprehensive preliminary engineering review ,determined that over $28 million in upgrades are needed.

Rhiannon C. Hampson, state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development announced on Dec. 21, 2021, that the Rumford-Mexico Sewerage District is receiving a loan of $10.77 million and a grant of $8.80 million. It will help pay for comprehensive upgrades to the main wastewater treatment facility and the Dix Avenue Pump Station in Mexico.

Arsenault said the district was awarded $1 million from the American Rescue Plan Act from Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

“That leaves us with a total of $8 million in additional funding needed to allow this project to move forward,” Arsenault said. “The district is seeking other funding sources at this time, such as Community Development Block Grant, Northern Border Regional Commission, and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.”