Note to reader [This is a rant, not a properly organized posting]:
Today, the City Council will vote on whether to raise our water rates…again. They’ll claim this is merely a “pass through” because the price of buying water has gone up on the open market. We don’t see an across the board increase (by relatively equal amounts) in different jurisdictions to reflect the cost of water on the open market. Why is that? Because the actual cost of water is a relatively small amount of the total cost the city charges for delivering this essential commodity. The biggest cost is staff and the associated costs including salaries, pension benefits (shocker) and assorted fringe benefits.
No doubt we’ll hear a lot about needing additional revenue (RATES = TAXES) to help pay for an increasingly over-burdened system and that essential capital projects will be delayed without additional revenues. I’ve not heard of any specific capital improvement projects to the system and general maintenance for the system does not justify the 60+ percent increase we’ve seen in the past three years.
I’m not naïve enough to think the City Council will vote down this increase. The Prop 218 protest system is a sham vote that is rigged to ensure taxpayers never defeat an increase. Therefore, as with all fiscal issues affecting taxpayers, I’ll be very curious to see how the Republicans vote on this issue. We know how Carl (opposed) and Kevin (support) will vote but Lorie Zapf will be interesting. This is one vote where her fiscally conservative credentials will be judged on.
People are sick and tired of being stuck with ever higher water rate increases when the cost of water is not driving those increases.
Yes, we live in a desert environment with less rain then other parts of the country. That does not mean our city, county, and state governments should continue to drive up costs to consumers because once again, it’s easier to raise taxes then to “rain in” the monopolistic bureaucratic Water Department.
Comments 2
If they are going to raise rates, I’d like to see a quantifiable rationale for why that’s necessary. They just say water is more expensive and its the county authorities’ fault.
I’ve never seen a real reason analysis that supports requiring a raise in rates.
Interesting that Zapf voted for the increase and Emerald voted against. Strange times indeed.