A move by the Water and Sewer Commission to recommend a substantial hike in connection costs for new construction will offset some of the costs to the department.

If the proposed capacity fees are approved by the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen, developers will see a per single family unit fee. Hotels will be charged by the number of rooms divided in half. 

Water: $1250 (tap)+$250 (capacity fee) = $1500

Sewer: $1000 (tap)+$2,000 (capacity fee per single family unit) = $3000

The total cost would be $4500 per unit to tap into water and sewer.

The sewer capacity fee addresses multi-unity structures that require only one sewer tap. A duplex development would incur fees for both sides of the structure.

“Our town needs water and sewer and it’s going to have to pay for it somehow,” Vice Mayor Mark Messick said during the February Water and Sewer Commission meeting.

Director of Water and Sewer Phil Miller said that sewer fees address the added cost of getting the waste water to the treatment plant and to treat that wastewater.

“It’s going to take a lot of money to get that to our treatment plant, treat it and get it out,” he said.