Water Co!!!

[meltodd69]

I am sooooo mad at our water company and this city!

For years we have been paying extra on our water bill because our driveway is paved. They say we have to pay because more rain water runs off our driveway into the sewer. Causing them more work.

OK we have paid that extra bogus charge. Well two years ago they decided to get everyone for the charge. You see alot of people just refused to pave their driveway, so they wouldn't have to pay LOL. So if you have the water here you have to pay.
The City Council decided on this Rain Water Tax. Yeah even if there is a drought we still have to pay. When they started this they gave everyone less than a week to pay! You pay on time or you get late fees and interest. Plus if you go over three days they shut off the water. Well I am paying again for some of the years I have already paid for! Isn't that double taxation?
Since everyone has been paying this tax for the last couple years it has been due around the end of Oct and the end of April. You can pay once a year if you want, but it isn't any cheaper.
So being due in April I have just paid this two months ago. We get a bill today and now they want us to pay again in July. I guess they changed when it will be due, bumped it up 3 months. They did give me two weeks to pay it, big deal. No one person has been expecting this until October. How can they just change the dates like that?
I think this city is sooooo broke it is trying to collect sooner so they can pay themselves. Lord Forbid the Mayor can't get paid.

I'm going straight up there Monday morning! After I'm done itching there I am going straight upstairs and give the Mayor a piece of my mind. :getyou
I just might stand uptown all day and get everyone that comes up there pumped up. I know there will be a line of people. We are broke here! Alot of retired people and everyone else is on unemployment. We are broke! What part of that don't they get.
OMG I just had a thought! A TEA PARTY!!!! I am gonna talk to everyone about it!

[DAVESBABYDOLL]

Yep, I think Fostoria is pretty broke. But Heck, did you see in the paper that Toledo was giving tickets to people who parked on gravel roads/streets etc even if it's their OWN DRIVEWAY? Seems some chick who does the laws there found that law and by God is using it to ticket people on their own property for parking their vehicles on their gravel driveway to make Toledo money. Now that's jsu sad.

[gmyers]

I've never heard of taxing for that. I think I'd tell them they're taxing the wrong person they need to talk to God because he's the one causing the problem for them not you. Just kidding but thats a ridiculous tax.

[meltodd69]

I know. I tried telling them that the rain is an "Act of God". LOL They didn't find it funny though. Actually got really rude with me.

I should pay in change! Get that exact amount in pennies! And not rolled pennies either.

[Shann]

What a bunch of bull! Gotta love how the cities are trying to stick it to the little people especially right now. Apparently they don't understand that more and more people cannot afford their every day lives let alone more taxes. Our greedy ass energy company is yet again wanting a rate increase.. I swear those greedy sob's get a raise increase from us every year. I seriously don't know how some ppl are managing to survive in this economy right now. :(

[fleabones3]

Is that even legal???To tax for rain water? its not like you can prevent it or do anything to change it. That is stupid and I sure as heck hope my stupid city dont come up with that

[FreeBnutt]

You need to contact your states Public Service Commission and question that, and are you a metered community for water/sewer? or a 'flat' rate monthly or quarterly? Seems your problem is your InI, and they can do whatever they want with that. We just went thru that, and received a grant from the state to put in new pipe lines and insulate some, so there should be no more of what your are going thru.

[iluvmybaby]

It is SO amazing that taxation without representation goes on. I bought transmission fluid at walmart and had to pay a $0.02 "oil disposal fee." During the summer I garden and get charged the same for the sewer that I do the water, even tho it is not going into the sewer. We have a wheel tax that everyone voted out, but showed up. Now they are DOUBLING it. NO MORE TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION, wish we lived closer I would go to your tea party

[Mary Jo]

I hear we're going to get that run-off tax added to our sewer bills soon here.
And the electric company here wants to raise their rates for the second time this year.
Don't these people understand that we're poor and there are no jobs?
I realize that here these companies are private but they do make a profit. But times are tough and a lot of people are on unemployment and that is not profitable.
It is just wrong!

[meltodd69]

Thanks for the idea FreeBnutt. I'm gonna get ahold of the public service commission. I am going to contact everyone I can think of, outside of this town. Them good ole boys here will circle the wagons and nothing will get solved lol.
I was questioning why our city didn't apply for some of the "stimulus" money. DH brought it to my attention that would mean the Feds could look at their books. Can't have that now, can we. Someone might find out that someone has been stealing!

We pay the same in sewer as water here too. We just get an extra bill twice a year for the rain water. And if you own a duplex, you get to pay twice for that property. I guess it rains more over houses that have more than one family living in it. Does that make any sense?
Just found out that there is a minimum charge on your water too. Mom for years has been taking short showers, and not watering her flowers. She thought she was cutting her bill down. NOPE!! Actually she could have been watering her lawn everyday and still paid the same. Boy is she HOT!!

[klutzie56]

We are now paying $5.00 extra on our water bill for street lights. Not bad cause we only get billed every 3 months. The governor has cut the budget down so low, so less money for the cities.

[freeplease]

The governor of our fair state, Illinois, wants to raise income taxes by 50%. This should go over well...

[fleabones3]

I think in the next few years, there is going to be a uprise. whether its a political ousting of ALL politicians or a "civil" war of some sort. What is sad is these people are VOTED in and screwing us every way they can while they pocket our hard earned money

[krisharry]

Yeah, I hear you. We pay a sanitary sewer fee every month on our water bill, it used to be around $45 now they have changed it to increase depending on your property and since we just put up a huge garage with a seaprate concrete driveway last year it is now increased to $92 a month plus they increased the water rates. Apparently they are broke because for the last 1 years we were in a drought and they had water restrictions so a loss of $$ for them. Now I haven't even been watering my lawn because it has been raining a lot and my bill was $195. Urgh!

[whatever]

There was a lady in Des Moines (I think) who took the city to court over some kinda tax and WON! It turned out to be Illegal to charge what they were charging. And now the city has to pay all those taxes back. Of course they ARE appealing it. lol So I would def. do research on it. Something like what they are charging you for sounds illegal. Thats what the dot tax dollars are supposed to pay for etc.

[stresseater]

If it isn't illegal in your area I would look into having a well drilled and/or a septic system put in. I love not having to pay those vultures anymore.

[Urban Cowgirl]

Thanks for the idea FreeBnutt. I'm gonna get ahold of the public service commission. I am going to contact everyone I can think of, outside of this town. Them good ole boys here will circle the wagons and nothing will get solved lol.
I was questioning why our city didn't apply for some of the "stimulus" money. DH brought it to my attention that would mean the Feds could look at their books. Can't have that now, can we. Someone might find out that someone has been stealing!

We pay the same in sewer as water here too. We just get an extra bill twice a year for the rain water. And if you own a duplex, you get to pay twice for that property. I guess it rains more over houses that have more than one family living in it. Does that make any sense?
Just found out that there is a minimum charge on your water too. Mom for years has been taking short showers, and not watering her flowers. She thought she was cutting her bill down. NOPE!! Actually she could have been watering her lawn everyday and still paid the same. Boy is she HOT!!

On the bright side...conserving water is good for the environment.

[meltodd69]

The more I dig the madder I get!!

Went to water co today. The clerk had a lame excuse that last years bills went out months late. WTF! And this is the first I am hearing of this!
There were a few people there and I started yelling. Mind you the office isn't big enough to turn around in. Asking the girl if she knew how many people have lost their jobs here. How many of us are living on unemployment, SSI or even our 401K right now? We just paid this in April! We paid our city tax in April! We just paid our water bills this month, and property taxes are due! So you think we just chit money?

Then I thought to myself calm down this girl just works here LOL.
She did tell me they would wave the late fee if I wanted to pay it all in 6 months.

I've been doing some research on this fair city.
This city applied for ALOT of "stimulus" money. Yip to pay for this rain water problem they have been billing us for. Looks like something was just announced on the 17th of June about money going out to the cities in this state.
I'm thinking they want to collect from us sooner and then TADAHHH money from the federal government comes in. It gets done and they just spend our money on something else.
Whatcha think?

I can't wait for the next city council meeting. Someone has some explaining to do!