- April 24, 2024
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+ A 22% increase in 1.5 years for water is excessive
Dear Editor:
I am writing in response to your article in the Jan. 19 Palm Coast Observer about the water rate increase. I noticed that the city tried to put a spin on it by saying it is only a mere $4.61-per-month increase, which to the average person wouldn't seem like that much, and I am sure that is what they are hoping for — that nobody will bother to complain since it seems like so little.
However, as the article states, that increase is for a 4,000-gallon-a-month household, which obviously isn't the average for a family. My family of five averages 10,000 gallons a month. I don't know the formula the city used to come up with this amount of an increase, but using the math provided in the article and dividing the $4.61 by the 4,000 gallons and then taking that rate and replacing the 4,000 with 10,000, shows me an increase of $11.50 a month.
And it doesn't stop there. The article states that we will have an increase of 8% in April, plus another 7% increase in October and another the following year, 2014. That's on top of the already increased stormwater fees.
The city can spin it anyway they like, but a 22% increase within a year and a half is beyond excessive!
Keri Crider
Palm Coast
Editor’s Note:
To calculate your rate at 10,000 gallons is a bit more complicated than your numbers.
According to the city, the typical single-family household uses 4,000 gallons of water per month and also sends 4,000 gallons of water through the sewer pipes. That resident will see an increase of 68 cents for water and $3.93 for sewer, for a total combined increase of $4.61 per month, starting in April.
To break it down further, the bill includes a base rate as well as a usage rate. The base for residential is proposed to go up from $14.18 to $14.50, which is 32 cents, whether you use 4,000 gallons or 10,000. For usage as a single-family residence, it’s 10 cents per thousand gallons. If you use 10,000 gallons per month, your bill goes up another $1, for a total increase of $1.32 in April.
For sewer, the base rate is going up from $11.90 to $14.23, or a $2.33 increase. Then, you add 40 cents per thousand up to 8,000 gallons, or $3.20 for a 10,000-gallons-per-month household.
For your household, that makes a total of $5.53 for sewer, plus $1.32 for water, for a total increase of $6.85. Not as high as what you calculated, but still an increase, of course.
The 22% you mentioned is the total additional revenue for the city over the next three years, so not all residents will increase by the same amount. Commercial and multifamily rates are another matter: They are higher than the single-family residential rate.
