Great Barrington — The 2024 annual report for Housatonic Water Works reveals that, yet again, both company President Frederick Mercer and Treasurer James Mercer received a raise in their salaries.
The annual report for 2024 was recently filed with the state’s Department of Public Utilities and is available online.
In 2024, both Frederick Mercer and James Mercer each received a $121,100 salary, a $3,528 increase from 2023.
The annual reports available online, which date back to 2013, reveal that Frederick Mercer and James Mercer have been giving themselves raises every single year, despite multiple controversies with the company’s water quality issues.
| Year | Salary | Increase from previous year |
| 2013 | $87,485 | Note: Earliest return on state’s website |
| 2014 | $90,110 | $2,625 |
| 2015 | $92,813 | $2,703 |
| 2016 | $95,597 | $2,784 |
| 2017 | $98,465 | $2,868 |
| 2018 | $101,419 | $2,954 |
| 2019 | $104,462 | $3,043 |
| 2020 | $107,595 | $3,133 |
| 2021 | $110,823 | $3,228 |
| 2022 | $114,148 | $3,325 |
| 2023 | $117,572 | $3,424 |
| 2024 | $121,100 | $3,528 |
Total amount of increases in 11 years: $33,615
Other financial revelations in the 2024 annual report include:
- In 2024 the company spent $250,647 in legal fees. This includes $168,762 in fees from Womble Bond and Dickinson, $63,224 in fees from Bowditch and Dewey, $11,661 in fees from Martin Law Offices, and $7,000 in fees from Regulatory Consulting;
- $87,224 in engineering fees. This includes $60,000 in fees from Haley Ward Inc., $24,456 in fees from Water Compliance Solutions, $2,768 in fees from Jeffrey F. Collingwood, PE;
- $38,674 in accounting fees. This includes $17,700 in fees from Cirone Friedberg LLP, $17,875 in fees from Gary White, and $3,099 in fees from Smith Watson & Co. LLP;
- According to the plant investment accounts page in the report, the total plant investment made by the company in 2024 was $12,211. The report lists that the funds were spent out of the purification system budget line item;
- The report lists operating revenues for the company at $762,055, a $71,901 increase from 2023;
- The report lists operating expenses for the company at $917,939, a $177,823 increase from 2023.
The company lists that, with expenses taking away from revenue, its net operating revenue line item was left with a deficit of $155,884 by the end of 2024. According to its annual reports, HWW has been operating with a deficit for the past three years. See chart below:
| Year | Net operating revenue: Total operating revenue minus operating expenses |
| 2013 | $41,786 profit |
| 2014 | $60,622 profit |
| 2015 | $36,729 profit |
| 2016 | $23,936 profit |
| 2017 | $180,387 profit |
| 2018 | $70,636 profit |
| 2019 | $87,621 profit |
| 2020 | $52,095 profit |
| 2021 | $2,737 profit |
| 2022 | $25,012 deficit |
| 2023 | $49,962 deficit |
| 2024 | $155,884 deficit |
As of December 31, 2024, the company lists that it has 847 customers, including 749 in Housatonic, 66 in West Stockbridge, 22 in Stockbridge, and 10 vacancies.
Click here for the 2024 annual report.
