Daniel Zuckerman is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Coxsackie Village Board has approved a new water and sewer rate structure, effective Jan. 1. Under the new rates customers will be charged based on individual usage rather than a flat rate. Under the old plan, the village rate for using 10,000 gallons of water or less was $122.75 per quarter, and the sewer rate for 13,610 gallons or less was $75 per quarter, according to the village. Beginning with the new year, village customers will pay $8.14 per 1,000 gallons of water, and $4.33 per 1,000 gallons of sewage. The change from a flat rate to pay-by-usage could save customers approximately $130 a year, Mayor Mark Evans said. “Going to the per-1,000-gallons charge is the purest form of charge we can possibly get to — there’s no minimum, there’s no other hidden fees,” Evans said. “We think that we’ve come up with a good system, a fair system.” The town rates will pay slightly higher rates because it pays a share to maintain and repair the water and sewer lines. “If you’re a town resident and you don’t like that surcharge, you’ve got to talk to the town — we are simply mandated to put that on the bill,” Evans said. The new rates take effect Jan. 1, and the changes will be reflected in users' Apr. 1 bills. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.