RSS
City Water Rates
The water and sewer rates are rising, but are still lower than most surround municipalities. Interestingly, the rates are rising because water usage has dropped off. This must either be due to cooler weather over the past several summers, or that Saratogians are so concerned that we're about to run out of water that we're too afraid to quench our thirst.
That doesn't really seem too likely.
In any event, look for my explanation of why water rates are going up in the paper over the weekend, and, if you're concerned about the rates, be sure to attend the public hearing, 6:50 p.m. on Tuesday.
Unfortunately, I was too swamped with other things to cover today's best city story, so I turned it over to Paul Post, who was slightly less swamped. You can read all about this in tomorrow's paper, but in the cases of Douglas Conrad and James E. Wiley, the roommates--cum--sex offender accused of molesting young boys here and in Mechanicville, the attorney John Aretakis is representing both the boys, and the mother of one of them, who has been arrested for endangering the welfare of her child for not keeping the kids away from a known danger.
Because the mom is a witness against Conrad and Wiley, but is also being prosecuted by the Saratoga County DA, the office had to turn one of the charges over to another office. First it was former Albany County DA Paul Clyne, then it was Warren County DA Kate Hogan. Both rejected the case, citing scheduling and professional conflicts. I suppose we'll just have to wait to see how long it takes Saratoga County DA Murphy to find a special prosecutor who is able to handle the case. But it begs the question... do these attorneys just not want to deal with Aretakis, who has a reputation of being, at the least, difficult to deal with? Look for the details in tomorrow's paper. As usual, I would provide you a web link, but the story is not yet posted (nor is it finished).
Have a good weekend.
That doesn't really seem too likely.
In any event, look for my explanation of why water rates are going up in the paper over the weekend, and, if you're concerned about the rates, be sure to attend the public hearing, 6:50 p.m. on Tuesday.
Unfortunately, I was too swamped with other things to cover today's best city story, so I turned it over to Paul Post, who was slightly less swamped. You can read all about this in tomorrow's paper, but in the cases of Douglas Conrad and James E. Wiley, the roommates--cum--sex offender accused of molesting young boys here and in Mechanicville, the attorney John Aretakis is representing both the boys, and the mother of one of them, who has been arrested for endangering the welfare of her child for not keeping the kids away from a known danger.
Because the mom is a witness against Conrad and Wiley, but is also being prosecuted by the Saratoga County DA, the office had to turn one of the charges over to another office. First it was former Albany County DA Paul Clyne, then it was Warren County DA Kate Hogan. Both rejected the case, citing scheduling and professional conflicts. I suppose we'll just have to wait to see how long it takes Saratoga County DA Murphy to find a special prosecutor who is able to handle the case. But it begs the question... do these attorneys just not want to deal with Aretakis, who has a reputation of being, at the least, difficult to deal with? Look for the details in tomorrow's paper. As usual, I would provide you a web link, but the story is not yet posted (nor is it finished).
Have a good weekend.
posted by The Saratogian City Desk at
5:08 PM
7 Comments:
OMG, Paul Clyne is Albany County DA again? Are you suggesting David Soares may be client #8?
Andrew, yesterday comment was send to you that had to do with political payoffs in particuarly with the president and vice president of the DPW CSEA BARGAINING UNIT.Is there a particular reason you won't print this?These promotions are redundant positions that are totally not needed.They're payoffs and the DPW workforce knows it.After the last election..the public is expecting better....not deceitful actions.
"The water and sewer rates are rising, but are still lower than most surround municipalities.
Can I quote you on that?
Andrew, go get a copy of How to Lie With Statistics by Darrell Huff. It's been around for 50 years. Indulge me, I'm having an Andrew Rooney moment.
Why not ask the question, "What percentage of a hypothetical homeowner's annual budget of $100.00 in your surround communities goes to paying municipal taxes?
Considering that the total tax burden becomes the sum of its parts, recognize that Clifton Park doesn't have a Police Department and has a Volunteer FD and the Town of Wilton utilizes the County funded Sheriff’s Department while not paying any community taxes. Recently the potential loss of the McGregor Correctional Facility was going to force a shortfall in Wilton that could result in a first time tax! In fact, Saratoga city residents contribute (in their County tax bill), the cost to both of those communities their sheriff protection.
Why wouldn't you ask, why the more frugal minded homeowner who is reminded at each quarter that a pinhole leak wastes water, has to accomodate the large commercial, institutional users whose usage is being in effect, subsidized by the little guys? Can’t we expect these big users to be at least as energy conscience as the rest of us?
And if it is 2008, why are we still selling the logic that we have to “attract businesses and accommodate big uses”? We are certainly no longer a one-horse town anymore, and the big users should be feeling the pinch as well. I don’t see the Racecourse, the colleges and the commercial downtown users moving to Halfmoon any time soon.
And why is the residential customer charged a minimum usage for both water and sewer? Look, if I fix that pin hole leak and drink bottled water and let my lawn go natural, why am I told, that I still have to subsidize the big user? Why not question DPW whether going to an annual minimal usage wouldn't be more user friendly? In that way, a customer might use less in winter than in summer and not be penalized?
And then there was recent plea from the Wilton development whose builder did not provide enough water for its homeowners aggravated by the fact that the Wilton Building Department approved the data provided to it by the builder. Should the City come to the rescue or should Wilton and the homeowner pay the price, assuming that their costs only incurred the initial costs of substandard water.
These substandard developments without water, without sidewalks, without fire protection should be charged a special assessment if they come back later and expect their "city" to provide them with services, that they obviously didn't pay for up front. Why isn't that more fair?
And the cost of water and sewer service is not contingent on the weather as you report. It’s management. Why can’t the City charge the small user and the big user alike instead of expecting the small user to conserve water only to have his/her rates go up in the future to subsidize both the “accommodations’ of the big users and the PW Department’s inability to moderate its costs. Our city planners and engineer could do more than respond to the sign of the times as you also reported last week. Job performance evaluations could also be a sign of the times as well.
It’s like those little water leaks, its adds up. Watch these "average" increases and we won’t have to worry so much about our "average" annual tax bills.
Ask the questions Andrew. You are a reporter not a stenographer.
Ben -- In my haste to leave on Thursday, I left out 'former' form Mr. Clyne's title. Thanks for catching it, I've corrected the post.
8:40 -- I was away from my email this weekend, and didn't see the comment posted at 10:06 Friday morning until just now, so up until now, I wasn't refusing to print anything, I just hadn't had a chance to moderate comments.
However, I am now going to delay printing the aforementioned comment while I check into the veracity of some of what is written there. The reason being, of course, that much of what is contained in the comment is potentially libelous. While the author gets to hide behind a veil of anonymity, I do not have the luxury. I feel that I am obligated to take this step before I publicly post a comment that could expose my employer and I to suit.
If you want to discuss the matter (either the matter of me with holding this comment, or the matter mentioned in the original comment), please call me 583-8729, x219.
For the record, this is the first time I have withheld a comment for any reason.
9:15 -- A couple points: While they can be considered taxes, the water and sewer budgets are completely discrete from the city's general operating budget so it's a difficult intellectual leap (at least for me) to bring other government services in to the equation when trying to compare equal services. All of the municipalities, regardless of size, economy, or other factors, get the same kind of water service: turn on the tap, use the water. Apples to apples. If you start talking about uniformed services, you also need to consider things like the amount of money and number of visitors that each town sees over the course of a year, etc, etc...
Had I been writing more generally about the impact of the increase on the community, I would have been more inclined to produce a more comprehensive comparison of tax and other numbers, but such was not the case. Instead, I was trying to inform readers of the dollars and cents of the increase, so that you can be prepared to go to the city council with your concerns on Tuesday.
Secondly, just for your information, the city's largest water users are given a break on volume, but still pay the same rates as everyone else. For example, my alma mater might use 1.5 million gallons of water in a quarter, a volume for which the city charges $8.45 per 1,000 cubic feet (compared with $12.50 for 2,500 cubic feet), but in order to get that rate, Skidmore first had to pay $10.40 per 1,000 cubic feet for their first 2,000 cubic feet; $12.50 per 1,000 cubic feet for their next 6,000 cubic feet; $13.10 per 1,000 cubic feet for the next 17,000 cubic feet; $13.25 per 1,000 cubic feet for the next 50,000 cubic feet, so on and so forth. After surpassing the $13.25 segment of the rate schedule, the rates begin to decrease. Every quarter Skidmore starts over, same as everyone else.
So, if by some miracle of student activism, low-flow shower heads, and water-conserving toilets, Skidmore managed to used the city average 3,500 cubic feet of water in one quarter, their bill would be identical of the average homeowner.
The concept is not strictly to give break to larger users, but to give a break for volume, same as you see in big box stores. I asked why this was, and the answer I got is in the newspaper. You could get the same break, just don't fix that drip!
Finally: I did not report that the cost of water and sewer is contingent on the weather, I said that water and sewer USE is dependent on the weather, and I don't see how you can assert otherwise. If you have evidence showing that city management effects how much water people use, please tell me how, I'm very curious.
Andrew, the second special prosecutor was DA Kate Hogan of Warren Co (not Kathy Moran of Washington County), just an fyi. Thanks. Jim Murphy
Water and sewer taxes are not the taxes that give the city's taxpayers so much heartache.
Every time you flush a turd down the toilet you get to see what a bargain you are getting. Ask any homeowner who has to maintain and/or pay to replace a septic system and/or a drilled well, and they will tell you what we pay for these privileges is chump change.
The taxes that are causing grief for so many of our citizens are school and city taxes.
The bizarre labor cost and the inefficiencies that the city and the school district have imposed on taxpayers will eventually come to a head.
Jim, thank you for the correction, and please accept my apologies.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home