Here's our editorial on the city's new water policy:
Water policy goes overboard
TRAVELER VIEWS
The city has gone too far in its new water bill policy.
Starting next month, you'll have to pony up $100 if your water gets shut off for late payment, and you want to restart it.
That's $50 for a "shut off" fee and $50 for a reconnection fee.
"Shut off" fee?
Does it really cost the city $50 in labor and expenses to shut somebody's water off?
Worse, the new ordinance allows the city to shut off your water just five days after the due date, if you haven't paid the bill.
Five days? Everybody should pay their bills on time, but we all know there are decent reasons why somebody might be a few days late.
We can't think of another business that cuts off your service if your payment is just five days late. City officials say you can call for a reprieve. That's nice, but not enough.
We are all for the city cracking down on delinquent water customers. There's been no reconnect fee; creating one makes sense. So does shortening the cut off time from three months after the due date.
About 300 people are routinely late on their water bills. These new rules target them, but others could get caught in the crossfire.
We also have a problem with the lack of public involvement in making this big change. It required changing an ordinance, but no public hearing was held.
No doubt this will be an election issue this spring.
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7 comments:
I can understand why it costs $50 to turn off the water, and another $50 to turn it back on.
Think about it this way: How many times have you seen the city crew out working, and one guy is actually working while three to five guys watch him work? Well, if those guys are getting paid $15 to $20 an hour to stand there doing nothing, it only stands to reason that if they have to get out of the truck, walk into your yard, bend over and take the cap off the water hole, and THEN turn the knob a half turn to the right, they have earned that $50 right there.
That's a lot more work than they're used to. I just hope they have their back supporters on when they do it.
Just another reason that more people should go to the setup meeting on monday night rather than on tuesday night. In a room with five almost mindful people and two or three paid city employees looking out for asalary raise the next year (just like the waal street bailout folks)they convince those elected folks that that was the best deal. and where was your city attourney who is supposed to look out for the citizens(we pay her salary)and not just the city. If one person can get a reprive on a turn off and another can not that tends to lead for the possibility of discrimination of some sort. YOU can not turn down one and not another even if you think the reason is bogus I for one would encourge people to file a discrimination claim if you heard one person got a reprive and anouther did not. We will have to look out for ourselves since our elected officals WILL NOT!!!!
This is real!!!!!!!!
What ever happened to all of those people who voted to put these people in office? I just wonder if they think the money the put in the campaign to elect the commissioners who look out for the city rather than the people was worth it? I won der if they still would support them again or any one who showed support for those in office now. One thing I have comew to know that even with new faces on the city commission or the school board is they never go back and resend anything the prior electives have done no matter how bad it was for the citizens. It just seems to me that everyone or most of the elcective are just trying to get there name on the list of some one who did something really dumb that cannot be corrected for years or ever.
Why does not one person think of a way to bailout the citizens instead of putting them further in the whole.. GO PATRICK McDonald HA HA HA
I don't know, I get the feeling it is to target those that can pay there bill, but just don't want to. I agree it is awfully steep price and the wrong people will be caught in the crossfire. In these bad times, i don't think it is a very good idea. They have a reduced water rate for the elderly, maybe they should consider a reduced rate for the low income. Jeez, if i had the bill 5 or 10 years ago, that I have now, no way could I afford it without falling behind.
We as a country help people around the world get water to help them increase their standard of living and to cut down on sickness because they live in just a dirty enviroment and then we have leaders in ark city who will not help the least of those around here. Let see how much this is going to cost when kids go to school and share tools to learn and half the kids don't have water at home to wash the germs away and bring it to school and sicken other students for $50 plus $50 to our city.
Those who cheat are not going to stop cheating and thinking of ways to get around what the city is seeking for.
And are they really cheating or they just don't make enough to live here, uh oh there goes the tax base leaving town because of improper outragous taxation.
The trend for uncollected water bill is directly linked to lower wages and high unemployment so yes lets make it worse by all means
jamie said...
I don't know
Jamie wouldit surprise you that at the city meeting when the commissioners passed this or approved this over taxation ordinance that two of the e,ected spoke opposingly against it stateing the same thing people are saying about good people getting caught up with this deal and also how it looks to be putting people further behind if shut off was nessasary, but after those words of wisdom voted yes with the proposal. JJ failed to mention that in his reporting!
Just thought you might find that interesting or humorus
No, I don't think anything surprises me anymore!
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