Paying for the pipes

From the Daily News:

Hook up or pay up.

Today is the official deadline for residents of Meadowmere and Warnerville to connect to the city's sewer system.

And city officials said it won't be extended.

Residents of these little-known neighborhoods on the Queens-Nassau border have waited decades for the city to offer them a sewer system.

But times are tough and only about 25% of the approximately 89 property owners were connected as of Friday.

Plumbers have been charging $5,000 and up for the job.

Queens Borough President Helen Marshall gathered residents and officials from the city Department of Environmental Protection last week to see if the deadline - already extended once - could be moved.

"Everybody's scared because of the deadline," said George Moschatos, who owns Argo Boats on Rockaway Blvd. "They made us wait 40 years for the sewers, and then they give us 10 months?"

Homeowners received letters from the city last August saying they could face steep fines of up to $10,000 for failing to connect to the sewers.

DEP officials said homeowners will receive warning letters before being slapped with violations. They also urged homeowners to look into government grants and loans that could help them pay for the work.

Property owners are still waiting to hear how much they will be charged for spurs installed on their property by the city during sewer construction. The spurs provide a connector between homes and the main sewer lines.

Marshall promised help for local residents, who have complained for years they are ignored by city officials and shortchanged on city services.

She asked the city to consider payment plans if they perform any emergency hookups in the future. Her topography unit is also looking into concerns that some streets in the area are not included on city maps.

Photo from Forgotten-NY

Water board reconsidering rates

From the NY Post:

A consultant is recommending that the city study new rate structures for the water system -- one of which could leave homeowners soaked.

After conducting a review of how cities around the country charge for water, Booz Allen Hamilton developed four alternatives to the city's current billing system, which is based strictly on the number of gallons used.

One of the options includes a revised storm-water charge that would boost bills for those with more property.

Parking lots also would for the first time have to pay sewer charges under that proposal.

The Water Board is expected to take up the proposals next year.

Photo from TreeHugger

Single mom getting hosed by DEP

From NY1:

When Amhalise Morgan does the dishes these days, all she sees is money going down the drain.

"I owe a total of $9,000," says Morgan.

Morgan, a single mother who owns a two-family home in Brooklyn, lives with her two children and two tenants. Her average water bill used to be roughly $200, until March 2008 when it suddenly spiked from $205 dollars to $3,348.

"They said, 'You know, that there must be a problem,' that I must have a leak, which I didn't," says Morgan. "I must have more people in my house, which I didn't. I had one person actually move out."

NY1 contacted DEP to try and get an explanation for the spike in Morgan's bills. When the station asked if Morgan's meter might be broken, a DEP spokeswoman said the agency doesn't believe it's a meter issue. They are not willing to send an inspector out to check Morgan's meter because the last time they did it was accurate and working, according to the spokeswoman.

The DEP representative went on to say that a substantial leak at Morgan's residence caused the enormous spike in her bills and the agency believes its subsequent repair explains the return to normal readings.

However, Morgan says she never had any leaks identified or repaired.

Bloomberg's math hurting middle class

From the Daily News:

Jim Feasel is a retired NYPD detective, an expert in figuring out who did it and why.

But now there’s a problem in his personal life that he can’t solve and he feels handcuffed.

“How did the city’s appraised value of my home go up $75,000 last year... when property values went down 10% or more?” bellowed Feasel, who owns a two-family home in Woodside, Queens.

Along with thousands of other middle-class New Yorkers, Feasel is feeling the big squeeze — what happens when taxes and fees go up while income stays flat and investments and property values fall.

Property taxes are just part of the pinch. Water and sewer charges were hiked 14.5% last July 1 and will go up another 12.9% this July 1. Fares, tolls, utilities and property assessments are all higher.