Key Points:
- Wilton is nearing its contractual sewer flow limit with Norwalk, limiting capacity for new development
- Norwalk officials signaled they are not willing to expand Wilton’s allocation at this time
- The WPCA is proposing a 2.7% sewer rate increase as it finalizes its 2027 budget
Why It Matters: Wilton’s ability to grow — including housing and commercial development — may be constrained by sewer capacity limits that are now largely out of the town’s control.
Wilton’s Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) is advancing a proposed 2.7% sewer rate increase for 2027 while confronting a more consequential constraint: the town is nearing its maximum allowed sewer capacity — and Norwalk officials have made clear that expanding that limit is not an option “at this time.” The discussion came as longtime DPW Director and Town Engineer Frank Smeriglio attended his final WPCA meeting before departing for the private sector.
Budget and User Rate Discussion
At a WPCA special meeting on Wednesday evening, May 6, a review of the proposed 2027 WPCA budget of $1,322,674 was the main topic on the agenda. [The proposed budget and other documents discussed during the meeting are posted on the Town website.]
Smeriglio walked the WPCA members through the budget’s revenue and expense line items. Among the various details he highlighted:
- 2026 budget actuals (and even some 2025 actuals) are still in the process of being finalized, needing some “double-checking” of numbers for projects that have just been completed.
- By far the key components of the budget are the $650,000 in sewage treatment fees Norwalk and the $300,000 Wilton contributes to Norwalk’s debt service for capital sewer improvements.
WPCA member Kim Healy questioned how portions of some salaries and benefits of Town employees (such as a tax clerk, some DPW employees and other staff) are being allocated to the WPCA budget. She raised a concern about the possibility that some expenses are being shifted into the WPCA budget in order to reduce the apparent size of the Board of Selectmen budget.
“That’s just something that’s really troubling me, because I think we are potentially allocating salary to the WPCA [budget] where it actually belongs in the Board of Selectmen budget,” Healy said. “I highly recommend that we do a deeper dive into the actual time that people are spending, because we don’t want to charge expenses to [WPCA] inappropriately.”
Chief Financial Officer Dawn Savo, who also attended the meeting, thanked Healy for her questions. While she offered some assurance that the Town’s auditor was aware of the allocation methodology, Savo indicated the numbers would be further reviewed.
Smeriglio reminded the WPCA that it would need to schedule a public hearing on the sewer user rates for 2027, which he proposed at $300 per unit — a 2.7% increase over 2026. WPCA members agreed in principle with the modest increase, pending the final budget numbers. Details of the public hearing will be posted on the Town website.
“Tread very carefully”
The May 6 meeting was the first time the WPCA has met since Jan. 14.
First Selectman Toni Boucher remarked that the need for frequent WPCA meetings has declined since the Town’s sewer flows are now closely approaching the flow limit under the Town’s contract with Norwalk, which receives Wilton’s sewer flows for treatment.
After the WPCA approved a flurry of applications over the last few years, the latest sewer flow calculations — which include actual flows as well as allocations for approved projects and other “reserve” figures — are now hovering near 640,000 average annual gallons per day, just 10,000 below the contractual limit of 650,000.
That means the WPCA would theoretically be unable to approve applications for any sizable new allocations, whether for a new multifamily housing development or for expansion of an existing commercial sewer user.
“Going forward, we have to tread very carefully,” Boucher said.
She went on to reveal what she called “new news” from a conversation she and Smeriglio recently had with Norwalk officials, with the hope of raising the sewer flow limit.
“They were very agreeable to meet with us, but the answer seemed to be fairly clear that not at this time were they prepared to extend more capacity to Wilton,” Boucher said.
Smeriglio’s Departure
The May 6 meeting marked Smeriglio’s last WPCA meeting. His decision to step down from his role was announced in an April 17 press release, and his final day as a Town employee will be Friday, May 8.
Members of the WPCA thanked Smeriglio for the significant contributions he made during his tenure, notably his effort to address “inflow and infiltration” issues in Wilton’s sewer system and other innovative tools which helped the WPCA manage the Town’s available capacity and support the Town’s recent growth.
Boucher echoed the praise.
“You can see the appreciation of this committee for the work that you’ve done,” Boucher told Smeriglio. “Frank, just know how valued you [are], and how appreciative we are for all of the work and care and dedication that you’ve put into all of this and [what] you leave behind.”
At the Board of Selectmen meeting this past Monday evening, Boucher had informed the selectmen that Smeriglio had been hired by a company that works with municipalities on a consulting basis.
At Wednesday’s WPCA meeting, Boucher hinted at the possibility that Smeriglio might be in a position to provide consulting services to the Town in his next endeavor. Neither elaborated on such a scenario, but Boucher said “this might not be the very last time we see Frank… if our chief financial officer finds it in the budget.”