Berkshire Benchmarks Releases State of the County Update

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Benchmarks data team recently released a State of the County Update for 2023. 
 
This brief report builds on the Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County Report published in May 2022 and highlights notable changes in regional indicators over the past year. The berkshirebenchmarks.org website has also been updated to reflect the most current available data. 
 
The purpose of the Benchmarks initiative and report is to highlight the region's successes and challenges.
 
The 2022 Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County report provided a comprehensive overview of our region's performance across eight sectors: Economy, Education, Environment, Government, Health, Housing, Social Environment, and Transportation.  
 
In the future, the Berkshire Benchmarks team will continue to monitor these and other indicators to aid with the regional understanding of changes in these sectors and whether the work happening throughout the region is having the intended impact. 
 
Berkshire Benchmarks is a collaborative initiative managed through Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC). Our sources are publicly available data, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the American Community Survey, various Massachusetts data sets, and periodic surveys of Berkshire County residents. 
 
Berkshire Benchmarks aims to work with the community to understand priorities and help inform the region on how we are doing and if we are improving. Berkshire Benchmarks enhances the region's access to quality data and analysis. 

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Pittsfield Sees Similar Water/Sewer Rate Hike in FY27

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The mayor's office has proposed a 7 percent water rate increase and a 6.40 percent sewer rate increase for fiscal year 2027. 

Budget season has begun, and on Tuesday, the City Council will see proposed water and sewer rates.  This would increase scheduled accounts by about $6.50 per month, and metered accounts would rise by about $4.30 per month. 

They are based on a 5.10 percent Consumer Price Index Factor. 

"The rate changes proposed support the budget for the Water and Sewer Enterprise Funds and fund increases in salaries and expenses for Utilities system operations, debt service for capital projects, and the build-up of Retained Earnings," Commissioner of Public Services and Utilities wrote in a communication. 

Under these rates, the average household would pay about $370 per year for one toilet and about $461 for its sewer, totaling around $831. Additional toilets would cost about $416 per year, and metered water would be $2.67 per 100 cubic feet for water and $5.48 per 100 cubic feet for sewer, totaling $8.15 per 100 cubic feet. 

Swimming pool charges would increase from $100 annually to $120. 

The FY26 increases were almost the same: a 7 percent water rate increase and a 6 percent sewer rate increase. 

A couple of years ago, Mayor Peter Marchetti proposed a formula-based approach for water/sewer rates that aims to fairly adjust rates yearly using the Consumer Price Index Factor (CPIF) and the Operational Stability Factor (OSF).

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