SINCLAIR, Maine — The Sinclair Sanitary District Board of Trustees approved a 3 percent rate increase for next year and also elected board member Michael San Antonio for an additional three-year term during a meeting hosted by the Aroostook County commissioners on Wednesday.
The Sinclair Sanitary District was founded in 1995 when a group of residents came together to save Long Lake from becoming a sewage dump as seasonal camps and permanent homes multiplied in the area.
The district helped improve real estate property values in the area while also improving the overall environment.
The 2025 sewer rates amount to $679.80 annually and represent an additional $1.65 per month, or an extra $19.80 annually per ratepayer.
The increase is fairly minor compared to last year’s 33 percent rate increase, which board members said was needed to meet rising labor, material, and electricity costs and also to be considered for grants and funds.
Tina Pratico, chair of the Sinclair Sanitary District board of trustees, updated residents on what the rate increase will cover as well as some of the work done by the district in the past year.
They have had an income survey and GPS mapping done, and have also used American Rescue Plan Act funding to repair their building.
Pratico said the building hasn’t had repairs in about 30 years, and that the work will include putting on a new roof. She said they are also imposing a regular septic cleaning schedule.
The systems, throughout the district’s 30-year existence, had always been cleaned when needed. She said they cleaned about 30 systems this year.
“This allowed us to open them up and look at each of the systems to make sure that if they needed repairs, we could do it at that time, rather than waiting for them to fail and have an issue,” she said, “which then becomes a much bigger issue.”
She said they are also doing an engineering study for a fiscal sustainability plan, which will be presented at the board of trustee’s next meeting in November.
Sinclair resident Martin Dionne, who has served as spokesperson for the district, said during the meeting that the extra $1.65 per month could result in an additional $5,000 to $6,000 annually, which could be set aside for matching future grants when they become available.
