Watertown Council Adopts Noise Ordinance, Approves 4.5 Percent Water Rate Increase

Select Board · Meeting of July 14, 2026

Watertown City Council adopts noise ordinance and 4.5 percent water rate hike while flagging a looming rate crisis. The council voted unanimously Monday to set water and sewer rates 4.5 percent higher for fiscal year 2027, but City Manager George Proakis and Director of Public Works Tom Brady warned that a rate-modeling error by consultants Weston and Sampson, in which an incorrect rate was applied to revenue projections in last year's study, has narrowed the city's window to avoid increases exceeding 8 percent in fiscal year 2028. "This error has not created a crisis in this fiscal year," Proakis said, "but we end up with a real problem because this is saying, to close our deficits, we have to be over eight percent next year." The matter is headed to the Budget and Fiscal Oversight Committee for a deep dive beginning in August.

The council also adopted a long-developed noise ordinance 8-0-1, Councilor Nicole Bays voting present after the body rejected, 7-1, her amendment to push the commercial lawn maintenance start time from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. on weekdays. The council approved a $750,000 loan order for a replacement fire engine and moved more than $3.5 million in fiscal year 2026 operating surpluses into capital and stabilization accounts, including a $690,000 waste disposal surplus that will fund five fleet vehicles and an adaptive traffic management system without borrowing.

In the full story:

• Eversource Grant of Location, Main Street at White's Avenue
• Eversource Grant of Location, Chapman Street near Cary Avenue
• Fire Engine Loan Order, $750,000
• Water and Sewer Rates, 4.5 Percent Increase for FY2027, and a Larger Problem Ahead
• Noise Ordinance, Adopted with Amendments After 8 a.m. Start-Time Bid Fails
• Year-End Fund Transfers
• City Manager's Report: Police Chief Ethics Disclosure, Pending Ordinances, and Legislative Update
• Appointments
• The council confirmed five board and commission appointments
• Declaration of Independence Presentation
• Treaty Day Announcement
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 3,757 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of July 14, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.