Onset Fire District voters approved several financial housekeeping articles during the district's annual meeting on Monday, paving the way for a 25.5% increase to water rates.

Since the rate increase itself was not an article of the warrant, a final vote by the Water Commissioners to adjust the rate will take place on Thursday, May 20 at the Onset Water Department office building located at 15 Sand Pond Road.

Commissioners said the 25.5% increase would cover $17,000 needed to hire part-time help to monitor water meters more closely and would cover the increasing costs of employee health insurance and retirement funding.

If the rate is approved Onset Water users can expect to see a $25 increase to their semi-annual bill.

“We have to increase the rates,” Board of Water Commissioners clerk Brian O'Hearne said at an earlier meeting. “We cannot use the surplus [fund] anymore” to support the District’s operational costs.

All of the operating costs related to the Onset Water Department are financed by the sale of water. The District collects its money from approximately 3,000 metered homes. And while the income from these meters has remained the same for years, the district’s expenditures have continued to increase, according to O’Hearne.

O’Hearne added the new state law requiring health insurance coverage be expanded to include employees' children who are under age 26 and are still in school will cost the District upwards of $16,000 in 2012.

The last time the District increased water rates was in 2006.

In other Onset Fire District business:

After some debate voters approved the acceptance of a donation of a 23’ Privateer Boat and its related equipment for fire department use.

With this, the department's fleet has grown to two boats. The boat already in use by the District has helped firefighters aid in water recuses, oil spill clean-ups, and other marine-related incidents that occurred within the department’s jurisdiction.