The city is on pace to collect a record $3 billion in water bills this year — even as the amount of unpaid invoices has soared to $582 million, the Daily News has learned.
The sharp uptick is a 30% spike from the $2.1 billion collected from homeowners and businesses in 2008, according to data obtained via a Freedom of Information Law request.
But as the city touts the increased revenues, homeowners are complaining they’re getting soaked — and the new automated water meter readers are at the center of the controversy.
The new devices, which cost $252 million to develop and install, are meant to more accurately measure the amount of water each household uses.
However, those who feel like they are flushing away their cash believe the meters are full of massive inaccuracies.
Many feel frustration: 10,266 customers officially disputed their bill last year, up from 7,788 in 2008.
Public Advocate Bill de Blasio says the city is picking on the little guy.
“We have homeowners facing foreclosure because of these botched bills,” de Blasio charged.
“We need to stop these liens and runaway charges now — and that starts with the city fessing up to the problem,” added de Blasio, a 2013 mayoral candidate.
The Department of Environmental protection says the system works and that the majority of consumers are pleased with their service.
“Thanks to automated meter readers, billing complaints to DEP are at a five-year low, and our 836,000 customers can personally track their water use online, which helps families and businesses keep costs down,” department spokesman Chris Gilbride said.
Officials insist the added revenue has helped them push forward huge upgrades to the city’s aging water and sewer systems, including a state-of-the-art water filtration plant in the Bronx.
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2 Responses
What the article doesn’t say is how much more usage is there today compared to 2008 and how the annual rate increases since 2008 also affected revenues. Its no trick to collect more revenue when you increase the price you charge your customers by 20%.
I can’t speak with authority about the accuracy of the meters, but I can state that the city is constantly raising the amount small homeowners have to pay for water service.
Ditto for real estate taxes.
Ditto for parking tickets, with a veritable army of whaire-hatted ticketing agents descending on our communities to rip us off.
Ditto for hundreds of new red-light cameras to rip us off some more.
Ditto for 20-ounce sodas, popcorn and milkshakes.
The City is now ready to pounce on us and confiscate our cars and homes at the slightest excuse.
We are being ruled by the Court of Versailles–or is it Napoleon?.