Royalston’s Selectboard Tuesday night decided town officials should meet with Athol Town Manager Shaun Suhoski to discuss the terms of the intermunicipal agreement under which Athol public works employees oversee operation of Royalston’s wastewater treatment plant.

In an email to the Royalston board, Suhoski recommended a three-year extension of the agreement, which includes an increase in Royalston’s payments to Athol of 7% for each of the three years. The fee does not include maintenance or repair of the collection system, which is currently, and shall continue to be, managed through the Royalston Department of Public Works, the agreement read.

The proposed increase in costs for Royalston mimics those for the water and sewer rates for Athol residents– 7% per year for three years – approved by that town’s Selectboard.

The two towns have been operating under this agreement for the treatment plant since 2020.

Responding to Suhoski’s letter, Royalston Tax Collector Rebecca Krause-Hardie replied, “When this agreement came up the last time their proposal was very similar. I talked to Shaun about it and said, ‘Shaun, the rates are unrelated; what you charge in Athol and what you charge us are very different, because the majority of expenses we’re already putting into our budget. We’re committed to all the capital expenses, we’re committed to all the chemicals.”

The only expenses borne by Athol, she argued, were for the employees sent from Athol to Royalston. Krause-Hardie conceded that Royalston “is kind of stuck” because Athol’s rate for services is well below what us charged by private companies.

“But I think there’s room for negotiations here,” she said.

Regarding the Athol employees who tend the Royalston facility, Royalston Public Works Director Jaret Thiem said, “They do the work up here on Athol’s time and they get a stipend. So, half of what we pay them – roughly – goes to the stipends that they pay their employees for the work they do here, the other half goes to Athol. I don’t know what they do with that money.

“But like Becky said, the rate in Athol has nothing to do with what they charge us. The first time they came up here to present their grand plans of what they want to do for us, the previous superintendent in Athol said how great it was to do Royalston’s treatment plant, they make money at it, it’s easy, everyone gets along. Then they come up here and tell us costs are going through the roof, we’re going to have to raise the rates. What we have right now works, so I think they’re just being a little greedy.”

Royalston Selectboard Chair Bill Chapman asked, “What do they actually pay for, if we pay for all of the chemicals and all of the rest?”

“The labor and the licenses,” Thiem responded, “and they also do some lab stuff, they have a lab in Athol. But basically, it’s their labor and licenses.”

Board member Mark Thompson wanted to know who paid for the removal of sludge from the treatment plant.

“That wasn’t included in the first agreement,” said Thiem. “We have to pay for that. Because it wasn’t in the agreement, there was a verbal thing; they said, ‘Oh, no, it isn’t in the written agreement, so you pay for the sludge. So, we pay for the sludge hauling.”

Chapmen added, “Like Becky said, they (Athol) were far below the cost estimates given to us by other companies. So I think it’s mutually beneficial for both parties to be doing it this way. But we also need keep asking what (costs) have actually gone up for them to do the work in Royalston?”

Thompson suggested asking the appropriate Athol officials to attend a Selectboard meeting to discuss the agreement.

“The exact question we need to ask them,” said newly-elected board member Linda Alger, “what are you basing this increase on? What has changed? What has increased for you that we’re getting and that we need to pay for? I would welcome them to come here.”

It was ultimately decided that Alger, Thiem, and Krause-Hardie should try to set up a meeting with Suhoski and his staff to further discuss the agreement.

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.