I have posted this to the Maine Public Utilities Commission site and I suggest that everyone in our area take the time to do the same. Strength in numbers.  Aren't our bills from Maine Water high enough already without giving them another 10 million dollars in profit?
I am a residential customer of Maine Water in Rockport, and I am writing to strongly oppose the proposed 29.7% rate increase.

This request represents an extraordinary and disproportionate burden on customers, particularly given that there has been no corresponding improvement in service quality, reliability, or infrastructure visible to ratepayers. A nearly 30% increase is not a routine adjustment—it is a significant financial imposition on households already facing rising costs of living, including housing, food, and energy.

Maine Water states that this increase would generate an additional $10 million in revenue across its service divisions. However, this proposal lacks sufficient justification from a customer perspective. Ratepayers deserve clear, transparent evidence explaining why such a substantial increase is necessary now, what specific investments or deficiencies it addresses, and why those costs cannot be managed more gradually or efficiently.

Utility services like water are not optional—they are essential. That makes affordability a critical obligation, not a secondary consideration. Many residents, including those on fixed or limited incomes, will feel this increase immediately and acutely. A rate adjustment of this magnitude risks placing an unfair burden on the very communities the utility is meant to serve.

Before approving any increase of this scale, regulators should require:

• Detailed, publicly accessible justification of cost drivers
• Demonstration that all reasonable cost-control measures have been exhausted
• A phased or moderated approach to any necessary increases
• Consideration of the cumulative financial impact on customers

Without these elements, this proposal appears excessive and unjustified.

I urge the Commission to reject or significantly reduce this proposed rate increase and require Maine Water to pursue a more balanced, transparent, and customer-conscious approach.

Felicia Giordano lives in Rockport