From Stark
On Monday, Sept. 24, the Bellingham City Council will consider another hike in the cost of living for city residents: a hefty increase in the stormwater portion of city utility bills.
For 2013, a proposed 21 percent increase in the stormwater fee would add an average of $1.47 per month per household. That’s on top of an additional $3 to $4 per month that is likely to be added to water and sewer charges, based on council discussion at their Sept. 4, 2012 meeting. After that session, council members indicated they are likely to approve increases in that range and were relieved that the recommended increases were not greater.
The stormwater fee increase will be discussed at 10 a.m. today, Sept, 24, 2012 in a work session of the council’s public works committee, in council chambers at City Hall, 210 Lottie St.
The increases are recommended in a study of city utility system costs and revenue projections prepared by FCS Group of Redmond. Here is a link to the FCS recommendations on stormwater fees.
Besides the initial 21 percent stormwater fee jump proposed for 2013, FCS is also recommending a series of six percent annual increases in each of the next four years, which would add up to a $3.69 average increase per home by 2017.
These guys all need to be sent packing! Just what a shaky economy needs, less revenue to be spent in stores and on food, more to be wasted for a feel good!!
Not everything is solved by asking for more money. Do something creative. When I get a raise, I will consider whether my utility bill should get a raise. Get real.
Why can’t the government stop coming back to our wallet every chance they get?
I haven’t seen a raise in 5 years but all of the basics have skyrocketed.
It has to stop. Election time.
time to throw the rascals out !! Nickle and diming us every da@n time they meet. Live on a budget like the rest of us. Why was there no stormwater charge forever and since they got away with it rain keeps getting more expensive.
A dollar here two dollars there, where does it end? When will the council figure out that we are tired of them continuously trying to suck us dry? It’s like the taxpayers are a giant credit card and they just keep charging. At some point common sense has to reign in excessive spending…, well we can hope.
Did the council give a reason for fee hike? How do they plan to spend the money?
What additional to businesses who will then , need to increase prices ……
Are you kidding me my bill has gone from 143.00 to over 193.00 in the last 4 years.
Michael is correct, you pay yours, and Freddies, and Costcutter’s, and Starbucks, and the Little Cheerful’s ect. the revenue business’s must have to pay bills dosn’t grow on trees! It comes from customers, and renters, a fact that the city council just cannot understand. I wonder if they understand the parable of “The straw that broke the camels back” That point will be reached sometime soon, very soon.
IMHO the first order of a business is to give your customers what they want; methinks the FCS Group can count on more repeat business if they keep putting out these kinds of reports, don’t ya know!
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
This city (and as far as I know, all the other cities in the state) have imposed stormwater fees in recent years to cover the increased costs of meeting state and federal regulations aimed at reducing the pollution that results when rainwater flows out of populated areas into creeks and lakes and bays and such. In past decades, stormwater control was about flood prevention–now it is also about pollution prevention, which makes it more expensive.
john could this be another one of those costs of regulation everyone keeps talking about?
This government as all governments is here to provide the services the people of feels they need and are willing to pay for. How does a government raise the revenue for those services; taxes and fees mostly. You can say it a fee for rain or you can say it a tax for owning property or a tax on having a business etc etc but in the end the revenue raised is mainly for the services a government provides.
Now a days in these economic times it is almost impossible for a government entity to come out and successfully pass a new tax so what do they do instead, some choose to live within their means, cut/reduce cost if needed and some choose IMHO to nickel and dime their way into to more revenue.
If it only costs the price of a cup of coffee who’s gonna notice? Well the answer to that question will be found when people can’t afford the price of a cup, don’t ya know?
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
Actually, this is more aptly the result of inadequate regulation. Like litter, this is the cost to the public of cleaning up behind those who didn’t clean up behind themselves.
What choice remains when we don’t require adequate storm-water abatement at the time of development, and then won’t accept the cost of remedial efforts? Should we just wait until we’ve destroyed our reservoir, rivers, groundwater and habitat?
Why does the wailing of right wing “conservatives” so routinely seem to ignore the traditional values of conservation?
Instead of nickel and diming us to death for rain; I’s have a better idea, why not speed traps for our Canadian visitors, methinks this will bring in much more than nickel and dimes cause the value of those loonies is only going up, and if we sent out the speed traps locations to all registered voters in Bham then only the stupid amoung us would gets caught (might make them even smarten up!) and there’s another benefit, it gives everyone a reason to register to vote even if you think everyone on the city council is hopeless!
BTW I’s make sure that all me Whatcom county friends knew where they be too, don’t ya know!
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
Every once in awhile you do come up with a brilliant idea, AFY
You have a point, GHK, but remember that an awful lot of city got built and paved before anybody gave a thought to this stuff–back in the days when we dumped the garbage in the bay.
AFY: regulation does come at a cost, and sometimes those costs are hidden. Lack of regulation also has costs, and those costs are even better hidden and may be passed along to people who get no benefit from the absence of regulation.
John,
I think it was Oscar Wilde who explained experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.
Or as one of my favorite bumper stickers says, “Oh no. Not another learning experience…”
john, IMHO; when it comes to regulating(or fees there for) because of rain, since God is involve in this one maybe churches should be footing more of the bill, don’t ya know!
GHK be careful if you have any trips planned to China soon:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonchang/2012/09/23/is-china-burning/
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!