NEW SCOTLAND — Customers in the Feura Bush and Heldervale water districts will see an increase in their rates while those in New Salem will see a decrease. The town board approved water and sewer rates for the special-use districts in town at its March meeting.

Six of the towns special-use districts — one is for sewer and the rest for water — will have rate increases.

Rates for the 55 customers in the Feura Bush water district will increase significantly; under the 2017 rates, residents paid a minimum of $170.25 and $11.35 for every thousand gallons thereafter up to 15,000. With the newly approved rates, the minimum is $235.50 and $15.50 for every thousand gallons  up to 15,000 gallons.

In Feura Bush, located in the southeastern part of town on the Bethlehem border, the water district has a debt of nearly $60,000. In addition to its debt, the special-use district runs a yearly deficit, which last year was estimated at about $3,500.

Douglas LaGrange, the town’s supervisor, told The Enterprise in January that there is no one specific thing that can be pointed to as the reason for why these special-use districts have such high debt.

“A lot of things go into the equation,” he said. Leaks cause problems, he added.

The town has sometimes received late notification of cost increases from the places where it sources its water, and bills have already gone out that don’t reflect that increase.

Unexpected operation and maintenance costs are also a contributing factor, especially in Feura Bush, where there have been so many repairs. What happens is that, bills will go out in January and then there will be unexpected operation and maintenance costs that have not been factored into the bills, which just adds to the district’s debt.

Heldervale’s water district, off of Route 85 and reaching back into Bethlehem, is looking at about $30,000 of debt; its sewer district, about $25,000.

For Heldervale’s approximately 75 water customers, a number which is anticipated to increase by a third in the near future, those customers will see an increase in their minimum payment for water go from $247.50 to $277.50 and the price per thousand gallons up to 15,000 will increase to $18.50 up from $16.50.

Heldervale’s 89 sewer customers will have a minimum payment of $163.50 up from $127.50 and an increase in the price per thousand gallons up to 15,000 from $8.50 to $10.90.

Customers in the Clarksville, Colonie Country Club Estates, and Northeast water districts will see an increase in their bills; while rates will remain the same for those in Font Grove, Kensington Woods, and Swift Road.

Also at the meeting, the New Scotland Town Board reappointed Jeffrey Baker to the zoning board of appeals as well as named him chairman.