by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

An attempt to negotiate a settlement between the town of Machias and the Machias Water Company has failed. Machias officials last week expressed frustration that the water company responded to their request to reduce a 25 percent proposed rate hike with a reduction of 1.5 percent, taking the total rate decrease to 23.5 percent.

“As a 49 percent owner and the only customer they have, we have zero say,” said Machias Board of Selectpersons Vice Chairman Bill Kitchen. “Our input is irrelevant.”