City Water Board OKs Rate Hike
Property owners across the city will once again be paying more for their water starting this July as the New York City Water Board approved a seven-percent rate increase for the next fiscal year.
“The seven percent increase is the lowest increase in seven years and is 25 percent lower than the increase projected at this time last year,” said Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Carter Strickland in a statement last Friday, May 4. “The lower than expected rate increase demonstrates our commitment to keeping rates low while delivering the renowned service that residents deserve.”
The DEP had proposed the rate hike earlier this spring in order to cover costs related to “debt service” on projects resulting from “unfunded mandates” from the state and federal governments related to water quality. These included the construction of a new ultraviolet water disinfection facility and the Croton Water Filtration Plant.
Based on an average consumption of 80,000 gallons of water per year, each single family homeowner will seen an increase from $877 to $939 per year, about an additional $5 per month. The average multi-family unit with metered billing will see an increase from $571 to $610 per year for each dwelling unit, an additional $3.25 per month.
As previously reported, this marks the 17th consecutive time (dating back to 1996) in which the water board approved an increase in the city’s water rate. In 2011, the board approved a rate increase of 9.3 percent.
Several local elected officials, including Assemblymen Phil Goldfeder and David Weprin, pubinformation licly spoke out against the increase at a sparsely-attended Apr. 26 public hearing held by the water board at Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village. During the session, they announced several bills designed to cap the amount by which the board could increase raise the rates annually.
As noted, the rate increase will take effect on July 1, the first day of the city’s 2013 fiscal year.
