Local Town Increasing Water/Sewer Rates

[ellbru]

We are in a New England town that is served with municipal water and sewer. Recently, the local governing board of the town announced that due to shortfalls in the water and sewer funds, that they are raising the rates townwide on water/sewer useage by almost 40% over the next three years. This is not that bad for a small private homeowner, but owning two mats that do a good volume of business, this is a huge expense for me. My question is, are there any "valid" points that can be utilized, to single out the local laundromat owner, so that I may not have to get this increase passed on to me, as I provide a much needed service to the people in and around town?? This is not yet enacted, but will be in April. I plan on trying to fight this if there is anyone with some good points to guggest.
Thank-you for any help you can give.

[DuboisLaundry]

maybe jump up the prices on the top loaders, accompanied with a big sign expaining how they use the most water and you are passing along the water rate increase. If that helps move top customers to fronts your water usage goes down.

[Andy]

As much as I understand your situation, using an argument that you provide a service to locals seems to me to be irrelevant, the sewer and water dept. are providing you with a service why should they get stuck with the tab? you are or should be profiting from your enterprise while they appearantly are losing money.

I see your options running the range of you absorbing all the cost to your customer absorbing all the cost. I suspect at least to start with so as to not shock your customers all at once you should share the burden until such time as you can raise your vend prices enough to compensate for the added expense. If your lucky enough to have a clientel who are not easily "shocked" or you have no meaningful competition then raise it on up.

Try arguing that your sewer bill should be lowered because 10% or so of the water you consume never sees the sewer because it leaves your premises through the roof. Now that is a valid argument! Why else would you spend thousands of dollars on dryers if it were not true.

[Chuckels]

Here at 'Enron by the Sea' (San Diego, CA.) the pols raised the water fees twice and then severely jacked the sewer rates. Our sewer rates used to be less than 1/3 of the water bill but now it is more expensive than the water. The reasoning for the rate increases was to upgrade our aging system and reduce sewage spills that end up in the ocean. Unfortunately however the water and sewer money has been spent on all sorts of other things rather than what it was originally intended for. The pols and powers that be have been scamming the public with cooked books, illegal deals involving stadiums, a convention center, city pension funds and deceptive financial statements trying to attract investors to purchase municipal bonds. San Diego's credit rating is now frozen and the above mentioned bunch of crooks and carpet baggers are under federal investigation for an assortment of crimes involving misusing tax monies (Read: stole my tax money and might as well as smoked crack with it) and issuing fraudulent financial statements. Now that the money is spent and the crooks are using additional tax funds for their legal defense our water and sewer system is still old and in need of updating. Where will the money come from? I fear it will come from even more water and sewer increases. I have heard that our city is not the only one scamming the public like this and it appears to be on the increase, as it seems they took a page out of the Enron financial strategy manual. If you have a say about the increases than at a minimum require that the funds be clearly and strictly earmarked for use solely for their original intent or sure as the sun rises they will spend your money on something else and then return to you with their hand out again. This is not cynicism unless I say that without clear legal restrictions on how the water fees and taxes are actually used than you may as well give your tax money to the drunks that like to party down at your mat. And yes you have my permission to use San Diego as an example of what your pols should not do to you while your bending over trying to keep your business going.

Chuckles

[Andy]

Our water rates actually went down about 18 months ago, because of more than expected revenue from water sales to outside municipalities. I guess we can't all live in utopia.

[PeterH]

Two years ago, when they nearly doubled the sewer rates, I sucked it up because I had just installed 9 new big washers and income was very good. Last year when they installed new, more accurate meters, tops went to the same price as doubles and that made up the difference. Today, the news was that the government owned state gas distribution organization is asking for a huge increase in gas rates that do not include the rates pre therm that the marketers are charging. Also, Georgia Power is currently trying to raise electric.

Since we are in the business of reselling utilities as a service to the community, when those utilities go up, we pass them on.

I think you can suck it up for a month or two to see how it is affecting you, then raise prices accordingly.

[pete f]

I got a notice my sewer was going to double over 5 years once. Or maybe twice now. The first time I got excited and worried. I bought better efficiency washers. And raised prices as needed. Rent, insurance, parts and equipment go up every year, so water/sewer is nothing new. At another mat the sewer prices jumped 30% one year, the reason was they had not gone up for 6 or 7 years. Try to remember when you last changed prices, and adjust for inflation from time to time.

[Chuckels]

I admit that I have not yet gone to my local pols and remain apathetic about personally affecting change. I do however pay CLA dues which should make utilities and lobbying for fair pricing number one priority FOR THE STORE OWNERS. Looking in todays S.F. paper an article looks just like the news we here in SO CAL got two years ago. City by city across the country water and sewer taxe revenues are looking like the new gold. Is the money really going towards what we are paying it for or is it being spent like your SS has been. LOL. For now I will raise vend rates and expect such an article from the CLA telling us to just suck it up and pass the buck to the customers while the tax spenders party hardy.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/03/23/BAGGABTE1A1.DTL

Chuckles

[Chuckels]

Up on my soap box on this here water/city issue. I have been down now for 8 weeks doing a complete store remodel w/card system install so it was a surprise to receive a bill from americas finest city that breaks a record for highest usage rate. I saw the reader and spoke a few words to him about two weeks ago when he had the meter lid up. I called the city and they quickly told me that the computer info read that the readerman noted a vehicle parked on the meter box therefore they estimated the bill. Nice as pie they told me to disregard the bill and they would adjust it accordingly. I know that the city needs money very badly but so do I after being down for two months spending on upgrades.

Almost done though and spring has sprung at da beach.

Chuckles