Pesky Water Rates

Haven't gone away. I'm skelly-eyed from searching for budget references to water used by various town departments being charged to individual budgets.

I found reference to fire drills and fire-fighting. It didn't give amount used, expenditure or source of revenue.

It was in the paragraph referring to "water loss" Pshaw!!!! Do I look like an idiot?

I found $15 thousand in capital works for a water carrier or tank truck. No reference to water use.

The budget has columns identifying expenditure, previous year's cost, increase and source of funding; be that reserves, tax levy or part this and part that.

But there's nothing....Neither Nil, Zip, Zilch or Zero. Not that I can see.

I asked for help. Didn't get it.

I think about hundreds of thousands, millions. maybe billions of gallons of water used to create summer ice in a building with a metal clad roof. I know it's hundreds of thousands of gallons a day. Every time I think about it the flow grows.

There's a splash pad in the town park. Town swimming pools. Roads being flushed and mains merrily swabbed.

There's the town hall with toilets gushing and multiple hands washing.

All are tax supported.

Tax increase for 2010 shows at 2.8 per cent Won't that look good on a campaign leaflet?

Water rate increase on the other hand is 14%.

Water loss which includes, fire department but no other town department, was increased from 8% to 12% for no reason I can see.

$250.thousand was shifted from an expenditure against a capital reserve account to a charge on the water rates . Outrageous !!!!

Now....I have an admission to make.

I have always considered water meters a sly, sneaky, shifty, and thoroughly underhanded means of removing sewers from the tax bill.

Taxes were not reduced because of the shift. Perish the thought. We just got an extra bill.

I never appreciated a storm sewer rate tacked on to the water rates.

Storm sewers are part of road infrastructure.They have nothing to do with water consumption.

Roads and transportation are tax supported. Storm sewers keep our lots and roadways from flooding.

Ice arenas and swimming pools are supported by user fees....supposedly.

How can the fee be calculated without all costs factored ?

I have heard arguments whether debt should be a factor.... water is never mentioned.

I believe water rates are just a handy way for whoever is exercising power to fondle the numbers fudge the figures and fake the fiduciary .

Gas and electric companies and anybody else with a monopoly have to justify their rates.

Why not the suppliers of water?