Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Another raise in water rates

From the Daily News:

The Department of Environmental Protection proposed a 3.35% water rate increase on Wednesday for fiscal year 2015, the lowest raise since fiscal 2006.

That means a typical single-family homeowner will see an increase from $992 a year to $1,025 a year for their water and sewer bills, and a typical multi-family home with metered billing will see a bump from $645 a year to $666 per year in their bills.

The Water Board is expected to approve the increase May 23, and hearings will be held in each borough in May. The changes are due to take effect this summer.

Water bills have shot up 78% since 2005. They went up 5.6% last year and 7% the year before that, after double-digit spikes from 2008 through 2010 during the Bloomberg administration.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good. A lot of people waste too much water, maybe this will cut down on that, and help finance the major capital upgrades the water and sewer systems need.

Anonymous said...

Are they telling me that multi family homes pay less for water than a single family home? How do they figure that? Feel free to chime in if you know how that's possible.

Anonymous said...

Once again NYC residents getting screwed. NYC is nothing but a rip off to live in. I'm ready to move.

Anonymous said...

They should remove the minimum. I think my elderly father pays for about 75 gallons per day and uses 7 - 15.

Anonymous said...

It's the increases compounding that kills you. Wait 10 years and it's double.

Increases in charges for services given by the city should be capped at the rate of inflation, or at 1.5 the inflation rate.

Anonymous said...

It's kind of like a sin tax....but a tax no less. This needs to stop!

Anonymous said...

Anyone realize the effect of this on mnaking housing unaffordible?

Anonymous said...

Sorry people but until you all wake up and realize that the Federal Reserve system printing money from thin air has the affect of compounding exponential inflation than you will get more of the same.

Middle class loves to call Ron Paul, libertarians, and those who want to END THE FED as wackoo-birds and extremists but you all deserve what is coming !!!!!

No one paid any attention in History class!??!?!

Thanks Frank Skala of Bayside for teaching me early.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Are they telling me that multi family homes pay less for water than a single family home? How do they figure that? Feel free to chime in if you know how that's possible.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/water_rates/index.shtml

hat the Rate Increase Means for an Average Customer

A typical single-family homeowner will see an increase from $939/year to $991/year for water and sewer bills—slightly more than $4/month (based on an average consumption of 80,000 gallons of water per year).
A typical multi-family unit with metered billing will see an increase from $610/year/unit to $644/year/unit—less than $3/month (based on an average consumption of 52,000 gallons of water per year).

Same per gallon charge, different usage projections.

To all the complaints, water isn't free. The infrastructure costs money. Where specifically do you think they can cut funds to give you water and sewer services for less money?

Anonymous said...

If it's brown flush it down, if it's yellow let it mellow.
-wisdom from the 70s

Anonymous said...

The water board is waterboarding us!

Anonymous said...

To all the complaints, water isn't free. The infrastructure costs money. Where specifically do you think they can cut funds to give you water and sewer services for less money?

But why is it more expensive to supply us with water now than it was 5 years ago? Can't be that the price of gasoline has gone up.

Queens Crapper said...

For centuries, water WAS free in NYC.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Skala was my history teacher in 9th grade, I believe. His wife also taught me math. Very good teachers. And you are correct about the FED and it's money printing - the #1 cause of dollar debasement and income inequality in this nation. Goosing stocks for the 1% at the expense of energy and food. Bernanke is Public enemy #1 in my mind.

Anonymous said...

Blogger Queens Crapper said...

For centuries, water WAS free in NYC.


Yea but this isn't NYC water anymore crappy. It's coming from an elaborate system of reservoirs and aqueducts upstate that weren't cheap to build, and aren't cheap to maintain, and complying with federal mandates designed to ensure the safety of the water supply isn't cheap either.

Anonymous said...

But why is it more expensive to supply us with water now than it was 5 years ago? Can't be that the price of gasoline has gone up.


From 2002 through 2012, 65% of DEP’s capital spending was for mandates. That means that unfunded federal mandates like the $3.2 billion Croton Water Filtration Plant and $1.6 billion Ultraviolet Disinfection Facility cost the average homeowner $258 this year on their water bill.

In many cases, these were necessary investments for the long-term protection of the City’s water supply. However, being required to build them all at once during a heated private market drove up capital program costs.

Take a look here too.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwaterboard/pdf/blue_book/bluebook_2014.pdf

It's not that long a read.

Anonymous said...

"But why is it more expensive to supply us with water now than it was 5 years ago?"

I remember a recent raise in rates (can't remember which one) where the reason given was that less money was coming in. Yeah. Because people cut back on water use. Duh!

Anonymous said...

Why is the sewer tax 150 percent of the water tax.?? The water I use to keep my grass green goes into the ground not the sewer! Can someone explain that ridiculous percentage.

Anonymous said...

At one of the CD19 debates, Austin Shafran had said that he would introduce legislation to ensure that the money collected by the Water Board would only be used to support the water supply infrastructure. The implication was that the money has been dipped into for many other purposes.