BigChiefFan
05-02-2012, 12:54 PM
Posted: 05/01/2012
Last Updated: 14 hours and 58 minutes ago
By: Chris Hernandez
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - May marks the start of a new fiscal year for Kansas City, Missouri.
That means your water bill is getting bigger
Laurie Brown uses a lot of water washing dogs in her one woman shop, The Groomery.
She's surprised to find out her water bill is going up 14 percent.
"I think that's a kind of a hard hit, all at once. It would have been nice if they'd thought ahead and did this over time," Brown said .
She knows the city had problems this past year with a record number of water main breaks - a break once forced her to close for a day.
Brown questioned how things got so out of hand: "Why hasn't this been managed up to this point? It's not like these things last forever."
Your water bill has three parts. Two are going up, again.
The water rate went up ten percent last year, while the sewer rate went up 15 percent.
This year, it's water up by 14 percent and sewer by 17 percent.
City officials say the water side of the rate increase pays for replacing and upgrading water mains to prevent future breaks and improve water pressure.
"Beyond the water quality, we have to be able to get it to you. And if it's running down the curb because of a water main break, that's not providing good service," said Terry Leeds, KCMO Water Services director. "So as our rates go higher, our service level needs to correspond,"
The sewer, or wastewater, part of the rate hike pays for the federally mandated sewer overhaul that will cost $2.5 billion over 25 years.
Which means you can expect double-digit rate increases for double-digit years.
The higher rates also affect many suburban areas, since KCMO sells water to many surrounding cities.
On the bright side, officials point out that the city has won many awards for water quality.
And again, the third section of your bill, the rate for stormwater services, is not going up this year.
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
http://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/local_news/another-double-digit-water-rate-hike
Last Updated: 14 hours and 58 minutes ago
By: Chris Hernandez
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - May marks the start of a new fiscal year for Kansas City, Missouri.
That means your water bill is getting bigger
Laurie Brown uses a lot of water washing dogs in her one woman shop, The Groomery.
She's surprised to find out her water bill is going up 14 percent.
"I think that's a kind of a hard hit, all at once. It would have been nice if they'd thought ahead and did this over time," Brown said .
She knows the city had problems this past year with a record number of water main breaks - a break once forced her to close for a day.
Brown questioned how things got so out of hand: "Why hasn't this been managed up to this point? It's not like these things last forever."
Your water bill has three parts. Two are going up, again.
The water rate went up ten percent last year, while the sewer rate went up 15 percent.
This year, it's water up by 14 percent and sewer by 17 percent.
City officials say the water side of the rate increase pays for replacing and upgrading water mains to prevent future breaks and improve water pressure.
"Beyond the water quality, we have to be able to get it to you. And if it's running down the curb because of a water main break, that's not providing good service," said Terry Leeds, KCMO Water Services director. "So as our rates go higher, our service level needs to correspond,"
The sewer, or wastewater, part of the rate hike pays for the federally mandated sewer overhaul that will cost $2.5 billion over 25 years.
Which means you can expect double-digit rate increases for double-digit years.
The higher rates also affect many suburban areas, since KCMO sells water to many surrounding cities.
On the bright side, officials point out that the city has won many awards for water quality.
And again, the third section of your bill, the rate for stormwater services, is not going up this year.
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
http://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/local_news/another-double-digit-water-rate-hike