I received a notice from the city yesterday, stating that the utility charges will be increasing. The charge is for a combination of the city water supplied to the home, as well as sewage collection. I do appreciate having the trash picked up twice per week, however, that's a fairly common practice in this area, is nothing new. There actually is no new service being provided, but the bill is going up 8.4%. In addition to that huge increase, the city is discontinuing the extended payment deadline, which means those who were previously unable to pay by the due date, but were able to come up with the money and pay the bill within 18 days of that due date, will now be penalized via a late fee. Has your water bill increased?
No, and fortunately, I do not have one. That is one of the few perks of living in the country. We have no water bill. I have a deep well. However, we have the issue instead of having to have the sewer pumped and that is a nice treat that you have to spend like 500 dollars on every 5 years! So, there is no free lunch, no matter where you are.
That sound a little extortionate and harsh, @Diane Lane! I mean 8.4 % may not sound like much, but all those pennies soon add up! But councils will do pretty much anything to squeeze out as much money as they can from their people. As a matter of fact, my water rates recently went up, but by a very insignificant amount. It had also been ages since it was increased, and we'd been wondering when they'd do it because we could do with the services improving!
@Ke Gordon I"m sure the water tastes a lot better, too. I have to buy bottled water to drink (for both myself and the cats), and it adds up. I use tap water for cooking/tea/coffee and bathing, but I spend at least $8-10/month on bottled water. If you calculate out the $500/5 years it only comes to about $8.33/month over that time, which isn't all that much, but of course it's difficult to come up with that amount in one chunk. Does your area do trash collection or is that up to the individuals? My ex had a well and his water was delicious. He and his dad had neighboring properties, and split the cost of a dumpster, but they still had to pay to have that emptied periodically. I think 8.5% is a huge chunk, considering it's almost 10%. The water rate was just adjusted 5 years ago, and I don't recall how much it jumped back then, but I don't think it was nearly this much. Several of the local large employers have recently announced huge layoffs, and many people/families are already struggling. I agree @Lushlala, they will do whatever they want, regardless of whether people are struggling. The city where my mom/sister live just announced that their water rates won't be increasing, but that's because those fees will be hidden in the real estate taxes. They get your coming or going.
Oh absolutely, @Diane Lane....they take us for mugs! Just because they announce there won't be any increments doesn't mean that's the end of the story. You just know they'll find a different way to recoup that "loss". I always take anything the government and councils feed us with a grain of salt. -and I honestly think they're the same wherever you go in the world, it's just varying degrees of rot! They certainly don't have the best interests of the people they serve at heart.
I think there are a few who do actually care about their constituents, but like you, I believe they're few and far between @Lushlala. I have worked on federal contracts, and also in a city program, as well as private corporations and school systems, and there is a lot of waste. It seems people have a sense of entitlement, and whenever possible, they spend up to the maximum allowed, for instance, with travel and other expenses, rather than keeping an eye out for saving tax dollars. I think the higher they go in the chain, the farther away they get from caring about those who foot the bills, with a few exceptions, of course.
What a coincidence. Our water provider has given notice that it will increase the rates. No reason was given but we suspect it is connected to the present drought that is wreaking havoc in our country. We are wondering because as per the news, the water in the dams are still okay so maybe the water company is just exploiting the issue of drought in their favor.
Yes of course, @Diane Lane......It's a shame that human nature or is it force of habit sometimes means we tar everyone with the same brush, we mainly remember the negatives and fail to give credit where it's due! -which is what I did there, sadly! But you're absolutely right, you do find a small handful of politicians who actually do care about their constituents, even here. I recently heard of a councillor who took it upon himself to raise funds to have a well point (some sort of water supply system) for people in a remote village under his constituency, because there's a serious shortage of water here. I thought it was very noble and a commendable gesture worth praising, for sure.
Our water bill (which includes sewage and trash as well) went up not that long ago. They do still provide a "grace period" after the due date. After like a week, a late fee is added. A week after that, your water would be shut off if you had yet to pay or make arrangements. I did notice that they have an option for those who believe they use less water (and therefore create less sewage) than others. You can fill out a form to see if you qualify for a reduced bill. You could check and see if your provider offers anything similar. We don't do a lot of watering and only have one vehicle to wash, no pool, etc. so I will see if we qualify.
That wasn't a complaint about what you said, @Lushlala, I was just pointing out that a few do care. My dad was involved in city affairs for years, and so through his work, I encountered some who cared about the citizens and would work for what was best. I do think many get involved in politics and local affairs out of ego, but still, there are a few who actually care about citizen concerns and local issues. It's always nice to hear of those who do, because there are certainly enough scandals that tend to jade us all. My area here is strange, because we're not physically located in the city that governs us, and so we receive less services than the city proper, although land owners here pay the same amount of taxes.
In drought-infested areas or places where water resources are in danger of becoming scarce, bills for water and sewage collection (which requires water in most cases) are expected to rise. Our water bills have soared in the last few months though there's hardly any water in our tank right now. The locality is experiencing a severe water crisis and even our government-operated wells have practically run dry.
Oh no, I didn't take any offence at all to what you said, @Diane Lane LOL IDK maybe I'm not communicating as clearly as I should hehe. I was in fact agreeing with what you raised and noting that it's easy to overlook the minority of politicians who do a lot of good for their communities, in light of the fact that a lot of them are just about driving their agenda. So don't worry about a thing, honestly
