State lawmakers from Western Massachusetts are getting behind proposed legislation that would restructure how the Springfield Water & Sewer Commission is run.
Despite it's name, the commission provides drinking water and wastewater services for Agawam, West Springfield, East Longmeadow and other surrounding communities. Although they pay into the service, those cities and towns are not represented on the commission's board. Instead, the three member panel is selected by the City of Springfield.
A bill filed by State Representative Aaron Saunders (D-Belchertown) would expand the board from three to seven, bring on residents from other communities, and mandate that no more than four members come from the same municipality. He says the current system lacks transparency.
"This is the only place where you take a tremendous section of the folks who pay into the public utility and say: 'you don't have a seat at the table, you don't have a say as to how much you pay or where the money goes to, what projects are funded, what the governance structure looks like," Saunders said. "That's antithetical to the way that America ought to work."
Saunders made reference to a recent Infrastructure Renewal Charge added to ratepayers bills starting this month. It was approved by the commission's board in June as part of their FY2026 budget, but for many residents it came as a surprise.
"I get calls into my office because rightly so. When folks see a new fee from a public utility, they reasonably expect me to be able to speak to what the fee is and why it's there and who made the decision. I couldn't do any of that," he explained. "And it really underscored why we need an open, equitable process and equitable representation on the commission."
Saunders also stressed that the operations of the Springfield Water & Sewer Commission involve serious decisions that can create new jobs, and ensure money stays in the local economy.
"There's a much more complex bit of this that gets into what decisions are being made. What RFPs (Request for Proposals) are going out? What companies are getting this work, who's deciding which projects are priorities and when?"
Other Western Massachusetts lawmakers have also expressed their support for reshaping the commission. In a press release, Representative Jake Oliveira (D-Ludlow) echoed calls for equitable representation.
"This legislation advances the regional equity Western Mass deserves, ensuring that every community receiving services has a seat at the table and a voice in the decisions that affect them," Oliveira said.
The proposed legislation would also appoint an independent ombudsperson to advocate for ratepayers, and bring the commission into compliance with state open meeting and public records law.