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Thread: Buffalo water rates to rise

  1. #1
    Member steven's Avatar
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    Buffalo water rates to rise

    When a Lovejoy District block club leader learned Tuesday that his water bill will likely increase by at least 21 percent over the next two-and-a-half years, he raised fears that the series of rate hikes would spur people to move out of Buffalo.



    “Why do they want to keep driving people away?” asked Arthur Robinson Jr. “This is another nail in the coffin of Buffalo.”



    Robinson plans to attend a hearing at 6:30 p. m. todayt in City Hall to voice objections to a plan that would impose three annual rate hikes ranging from 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent each, plus an increase in a meter capacity charge that would raise most bills by an additional 2 percent. If all of the increases are approved, water bills would rise by 21 percent to nearly 25 percent by July 2012.



    An unusually wet summer that contributed to continued decreases in water consumption have caused major challenges, said Water Board Chairman Oluwole A. McFoy.



    The decision to propose a rare multiyear increase was made with customers’ “best interests” in mind, McFoy insisted. “It wouldn’t be fair to beat our ratepayers over the head with one big lump-sum increase,” said McFoy.
    But South Council Member Michael P. Kearns compared the Water Board to the “Grinch who stole Christmas.” Kearns, who has been pushing for reforms on water policies, said he finds it suspicious that officials only disclosed the need for increases after Mayor Byron W. Brown won re-election. Brown defeated Kearns in a September Democratic primary.



    Kearns noted that most water rate increases are announced in the spring and take effect July 1.



    “I think it’s politicking, and I think it stinks to the mountaintops,” said Kearns.



    Water officials denied that the rate increase was intentionally delayed until after the mayor’s re-election.



    http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/907920.html
    People who wonder if the glass is half empty or full miss the point. The glass is refillable.

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    we're told water conservation is important and when we conserve water they raise our rates. its a no-win situation, i applaude art robinson for everything he does in the babcock community.

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    Water officials denied that the rate increase was intentionally delayed until after the mayor’s re-election.
    we're expected to believe this?

  4. #4
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Quote Originally Posted by bflo_resident1 View Post
    we're expected to believe this?
    People lie. People don't give a **** who they harm/stress as long as they can get re-elected.

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    Member fiona's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bflo_resident1 View Post
    we're told water conservation is important and when we conserve water they raise our rates.
    I always thought water conservation was pretty stupid anyway, and I'm very much pro-green. They try to pass it off like water isn't a renewable resource, as if once you flush it down the toilet or water your flowers with it, it's gone forever.
    Meow, baby

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    Quote Originally Posted by WNYresident View Post
    People lie. People don't give a **** who they harm/stress as long as they can get re-elected.
    they water authority intentionally delayed this announcement because if residents knew about the increase it would have been a loss of votes for the mayor.

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    Quote Originally Posted by fiona View Post
    I always thought water conservation was pretty stupid anyway, and I'm very much pro-green. They try to pass it off like water isn't a renewable resource, as if once you flush it down the toilet or water your flowers with it, it's gone forever.
    i'm very much pro-green too but it seems being green always costs us more "green".

  8. #8
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    rates rising?

    Large body of fresh water in close proximity... infrastructure in place...]

    WNY.......yep raise it.

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    its all political

    How many people does the mayor appoint to the water board?
    "PAY POLICE LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT"
    "WE ARE HERE TO PROTECT YOUR ASS NOT KISS IT"
    "DOWN WITH BROWN"

  10. #10
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    Quote Originally Posted by Save Us View Post
    rates rising?

    Large body of fresh water in close proximity... infrastructure in place...]

    WNY.......yep raise it.
    So they have records that show like how many gallons produced versus how many are accounted for with water meters? How do they know how much is leaking out?

  11. #11
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    Rez....the water infrastructure in Buffalo is a mess. But, when something needs to be replaced, unless it's a main trunk, the homeowner pays for it and has to arrange to get the work done themselves.

    I bought a place I'm rehabbing in Buffalo and the water pressure was less than 10 psi. The main trunk across the street read over 50 psi. I was told by the Water Authority that there must be a leak under the street and it was my responsibility to replace the line. I spent about 6 grand hiring a plumbing outfit to do the work and now have over 50 psi.

    The Water Authority is all about patronage and corruption.

    It's time to start running these taxpayer paid-for authorities like they should be run....like a business!!!
    Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem. Ronald Reagan

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