Time to Clean House: City of Fernley Still Voting in Outrageous Water and Sewer Rate Increases

Last July I got a little frustrated over the City of Fernley raising our water and sewer rates so I wrote this:

Life seems to be getting a little less affordable out in Fernley. Gas still hovering near $3.00 per gallon, Scolaris still the only grocery store, and now this... I cracked open my City of Fernley water/sewer bill the other day and it read $71.00 amount due. Last month I paid $39.00. The first thing that came to mind was they didn't post my last payment on the current bill or the kids used far too much water during these hot 90 degree days. After studying the bill for a minute or so I realized nothing strange about payments not being posted or water usage. Then I read:

Please note that effective July 1, 2007 the water and sewer rates have increased as previously indicated on the June 2007 statements. For information pertaining to the rate increase please call our hotline at 775-784-9938 or go to www.cityoffernley.org/rateincreases... The new rate structure is designed to encourage water conservation...

I was stunned! My water/sewer bill damn near doubled! For what? For water you wouldn't dare drink? For water that stains your vehicles and sink fixtures with calcium deposits to the point where it's almost impossible to get off? For water that is horrible for your teeth and hair? I'll say first hand that Fernley has by far the worse water I've ever seen in Nevada hands down and I've consumed plenty of Nevada water.

From City of Fernley's website:

Water rate increases vary depending on the type of service and the size of the meter. On average, the increase is approximately 50%, primarily due to the need to construct a new water treatment plant and associated piping.

Sewer rate increases are only 2.5%.

The costs for developers and builders to connect to the system also went up significantly. The connection charge for water went from $1,500 per unit to $5,165 per unit. This is an increase of 244%. The connection charge for sewer went from $1,848 per unit to $3,474. This is an increase of 88%. The increases in these charges allow for a fair and equitable share of costs to new customers.

I called down to the City of Fernley (775-784-9930) and the woman who answered the phone sounded just as frustrated as I did. She also informed me that if your water gets cut off it's now $100.00 instead of $10.00 to reconnect. Ouch! I asked her who's name was on the rate increase. Mayor Todd Cutler? She didn't come out with a straight answer but she did inform me that the City Council voted for it. She also informed me that the Council meets every first and third Wednesday of the every month at 6pm and folks like me should show up and speak so we can in her words... "Vote this out".

Is anyone out in Fernley as frustrated as I am about this? Who wants our old water/sewer rates back? If you can't make it to tomorrow's meeting, please e-mail Mayor Todd Cutler or telephone his office at 775-784-9851 and tell him how you feel.

Today, almost a year later, I cracked open my bill and saw this:

On July 1, 2008 a rate increase of 35% will be implemented for water and 2.5% increase for sewer. This is due to the need for our water treatment plant in order to comply with federal mandates to reduce arsenic levels in our water. For further information regarding these rate increases go to WWW.CITYOFFERNLEY.ORG

Wow! Next July will there be another 35% rate increase? Another 35% in 2010? When will this madness stop? Is the so-called "water treatment plant" even real? How many rate increases does it take to get this treatment plant going?

Is it already time to clean house in Fernley and kick out the politicians who cavalierly raise our rates like it's no big deal? Does anyone even care other than me?