Recently I received my Snohomish water/sewer/garbage bill for the months of July and August. I was appalled to sees enormous increases in my sewer bill. I had planned on an increase in the water portion. I was aware of the rate hike from a letter of explanation I received in January.
I am retired, on a fixed income and enjoy gardening. I planned on a higher water bill this summer, as I chose to water during the hottest months. I did not plan on seeing an increase to the sewer portion. I called and questioned why my sewer bill was so huge. I was informed that due to my excessive consumption of water, my sewer rates were affected. This makes no sense to me. How does watering my lawn translate into an increase of strain to the sewers? Watering a lawn does not contribute in the same way as waste water disposal does. I certainly was not flushing my toilet every five minutes.
Recent comments made by Councilman Doug Thorndike about the desirability of including the southern UGA into the City of Snohomish, and looking at the cost of providing sewers to that area, it seems that large increases in sewer rates have just begun.
Today, we are paying for the mistakes of past councils to upgrade the existing wastewater treatment plant. This plant cost Snohomish millions of dollars to construct. Upgrades needed to fix the problems associated with it are coming from the pockets of the citizens here and will continue to escalate. How much credibility is there for the decisions made by people on the council who contributed to this fiasco?
I would hate to think that people on a fixed income will not be able to afford to live here. With the increase in property taxes, school levies and utilities, city administrators should stop and ask themselves, “Are we serving our citizens in a fair and balanced fashion?
Joan Sullivan
Snohomish
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