13% Water Rate Hike in the Works

Flushing the toilet may cost New Yorkers nearly 13% more in coming months due to a water rate hike proposed today by the Department of Environmental Protection [pdf here]. The increase, which would raise the average apartment dweller's annual rate from $470 to $513 and single-family homeowner's from $723 to $816, will take effect July 1st and be the fourth of its kind in four years. That is, unless the six public hearings scheduled for May attract enough disgruntled New Yorkers to make some darn persuasive testimony in opposition.

"Clearly it is hard on customers to pay more, especially during tough economic times," acknowledged DEP commissioner Cas Holloway in a statement, but added "NYC's water is safe, healthy and high in quality. Keeping it that way requires substantial investments." It's true, we've got some of the best stuff around. 13th best nationally, in fact.

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By Zoe Schlanger in News on April 9, 2010 6:10 PM

Comments [rss]

ides_of_march

Wait until Cap and Trade goes through. Your energy bills will skyrocket as will the cost of, well, absolutely everything. Hopefully some sanity will be restored to Washington before that happens.

Guest

makes sense. really rich people are always afraid of not having enough money, so with the tough economy times they want to conjure up even more just to be on the safe side, not realizing that it was their fear of not being ridiculously rich which made the economy what is now, today.

such a backward society we live in.

inoyourider

Hey! It's the town cynic!

Pachinko

Poop in the Hudson.

starrygordon

You can go to meetings and vent if you like. See what it does for you. You're going to see the same thing year after year until you start dis-electing some of these people. Some of them? A lot of them.

But you won't. Or at least your fellow citizens won't. That's why we have Tax Hike Mike and however many dwarves they have on the City Council. Doesn't matter.

inoyourider

Not just a hike but THIRTEEN MOTHERFUCKING PERCENT?

Where the fuck do these scumbags get off trying to push this through?

Fuck these assholes!

Governments and utilities can't balance their own books and take it out on the taxpayers.

And we're doubly fucked because there's less income to be had.

Fuck this, follow the link in the story and make the meetings if you can.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/news/water_rate_public_hearings_2010.shtml

diablofreak

i, for one, cannot wait until these bureaucratic clowns impose the inevitable oxygen tax.

Trilby16

Apartment dwellers? Are some metered separately? My landlord pays it.

The last increase, which was, what, a year ago? was "needed" because NYers had cut back on water usage due to the high rates.

People, we need to use MORE water.

Darrell

No, all buildings are metered as one unit. If you buy a condo or co-op, water is part of your shared usage fees.

What will happen for renters is that their rents will rise in accordance to the new water fees.

longacre

Probably to pay for the new Big Brother-ish "smart" water meters they're installing in every building. Every time you turn on your water, the city will know about it. Should make for some interesting episodes of Law & Order.