SAUGUS Your Local News, Sports & More! Scan & Subscribe to Advocate News Online! O Vol. 28, No.22 -FREE- www.advocatenews.net Published Every Friday SAUGUS HIGH GRADUATION F CLASS OF 2026 LEADERS: Left to right: Salutatorian Zenera Shahu, Class President Maria Silva and Valedictorian Evelyne Meas took a break during graduation practice earlier this week. Tonight they will deliver speeches at graduation ceremonies set for 6 p.m. at Christie Serino Jr. Memorial Stadium. Please see inside for more coverage of Saugus High’s 155th commencement exercises. (Saugus Advocate Photo by Mark E. Vogler) Home of the Week Offered at $689,000 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Commonwealth Real Estate Formerly Carpenito Real Estate SAUGUS - 1st AD - Welcome Home to this 7 room 3 bedroom 1 & ½ bath single family cape in the desirable Iron works part of town. The well-maintained open concept kitchen features Vinyl flooring and modern appliances with side egress to a porch and deck overlooking the in-ground pool, yard and driveway. Newly refinished hardwood floors throughout living room and dining area. 2nd floor primary bedroom has wall to wall and a walk-in closet which is above the 1st floor bathroom. Finished heated lower-level family room with ½ bath walks out to the covered patio area, fenced in back yard and pool. Have fun this summer entertaining with a beautiful in-ground pool and back yard. Home has a new roof in 2025. Newer furnace 2019 and new side steps. Pool liner roughly 2 years old. (781) 233-7300 335 Central St. Saugus commonmoves.com ©2024 BHH Affiliates, LLC, An independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. Equal Housing Opportunity. D E CAT CAT AT C TE 781-233-4446 Friday, June 5, 2026 A Rare “Zero Percent Increase” With uncertainty over impact of new water meters on user costs, selectmen voted to keep sewer rates the same By Mark E. Vogler or the fi rst time in more than a decade, Saugus homeowners and businesses won’t see an increase in their sewer rates. Selectmen voted unanimously on Tuesday (June 2), after receiving their annual sewer rate analysis from longtime consultant Matt Abrahams of The Abrahams Group, to vote for a zero percent increase in sewer rates for the 2027 Fiscal Year that begins July 1. Some board members were concerned about the possibility of residential and commercial users having to pay higher bills anyway because of the ongoing installation of new water meters – which are expected to provide more accurate and higher usage readings than the old meters that are going to be replaced. Uncertainty over the exact impact of the new water meters on future water and sewer bills – coupled with the town having accrued adequate retained earnings in its sewer budget to go a year without an increase – infl uenced the seCongratulations Class of 2026 Graduates! Mid-grade Regular 4.08 4.45 5.07 $4.67 Full Service ULS $3.989 Order online at angelosoil.com Kerosene Now Available! Established 1978 lectmen’s decision. “We’re getting an increase because the [new] meters are more accurate. Don’t give us another bump,” one resident pleaded before selectmen took their vote. In an interview after the meeting, Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta said that while she and other members were agreeable to approving the lowest possible sewer rate hike, she’s convinced that selectmen agreed on the best option, given the circumstances. “We have a healthy situation in retained earnings. At least we can fall back on that. If we didn’t have that, there’s no way we’d vote for the zero percent increase,” Panetta told The Saugus Advocate. “Based on the information that was presented to us, we tried to be thoughtful and prudent while also looking out for the residents,” she said. It remains to be seen whether recent resident concerns expressed about the accuracy of water bills and the uncertainty ZERO PERCENT | SEE PAGE 2 FLEET CARD Check Out Our LOW PRICES!
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