YOUNGSTOWN — City water rates will rise more than 50 percent over the next five years.
The rates are going up 8.75 percent effective Feb. 1 and will increase by the same percentage again on Jan. 1 of each of the four following years. The net result will be customers will be paying about 52 percent more than they pay now for water service.
The increase, which will produce about $1.6 million in new revenue annually, was announced Thursday by the city water department and Mayor Jay Williams.
For more on this story, see Friday’s Vindicator or vindy.com
Comments
This is the only area of the country that has a plentiful supply of water and has a climate that is getting wetter decade after decade. This is insane, if I wanted to pay more for water I'd move out West!
It may be cheaper to have the water hauled in from out West .
They need to pay for the white elephant Covelli center somehow.
Time to drill a well in the backyard as it may be more cost efficient as people's paychecks don't increase enough for all the costs which cities keep increasing.
Posted by Jarad
Sell the Covelli center to the Cafaros and have them take over the payments !
I agree this is stupid,we should just raise the rates for Boardman by 200 % and that's the way to do it.
Here's a thought - all the non-paying Yompton peeps should be made to pay up or have their water shut off. It's always on the backs of the suburbs.
This will make that water district Austintown, Boardman and Canfield townships are forming all that much sweeter.
"It's always on the backs of the suburbs."
Not so . Youngstown taxes are far above the burbs !
If Youngstown is like any other aging city that hasn't regularly maintained its suburban pipe network for decades , anything from 10-30% of water is lost through leaks . This needs urgent attention .
Metering accuracy needs investigation too for any lost revenue.
I know annecdotally a lot of water is also lost between the meter & the householder's tap , but they pay for that anyway. At least when the price increases , customers will have more incentive to find those leaks . There is a coming bonanza for plumbers in the Valley .
The water financial accounts ( & the City's, for that matter ) , need to be more transparent & publicly released more promptly .
Just another revenue raiser for Mayor Jay. People can't live without water.
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/arti...
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/arti...
"Elements of Urbanism: Youngstown
Metro Jacksonville explores a city so devastated by abandonment that city leaders have chosen the path of retraction and population reduction to find stability: Youngstown, OH."
UTOPIA 2010 is now here . Jay has a plan and many people ran . The salvation of Youngstown lies in job generation . Without many new jobs to put idle hands to work the city is doomed .
MY OPINION IS THAT JAY WILLIAMS IS A CRIMINAL. PERIOD. I hope that someone can sort out a way to file charges against him for this. I can only hope that boardman township can get their water district up and running as soon as possible, and include the northern part of boardman in their new water lines so they can tell this moron to go to hell. I call on all readers to publicly humiliate him every time you see him. Call him out at every press conference, every public speaking event, anywhere he walks in public. Business owners,, BOYCOTT YOUNGSTOWN. Take your business elsewhere and if you have customers that live in youngstown, show them the door. His city residents dont have the money to pay for this and any low income families will be forced to move out into the burbs to rob and pillage. It will no longer be a bus ride away. This is his way of moving the criminals and deadbeats out of his dying city. JAY WILLIAMS IS THE LOWEST OF THE LOW, AND I HOPE THE VOTERS ARE SMART ENOUGH TO THROW HIM OUT OF OFFICE ON HIS PEANUT SHAPED HEAD
glad I don't have Youngstown water
So right, theword. I moved and have my own water supply and lovin' it. I bottle my own water and have relatives who come over and bottle up as well. Good stuff and I control its quality. No imports or plastic bottles here.
Stan said: "Not so . Youngstown taxes are far above the burbs !"
First off, the only thing tax related that is high in Youngstown is the "percent" of income tax. Still, that is paid a large part by suburbanites who work in the city. Property taxes in the city are incredibly low because of the low values of the property. The fact is suburbanites have a much larger tax burden than city residents and it's not even close. Then factor in the raping the city does for water that is nothing more than a rip off by a monopoly so that they can subsidize lower cost water for the city residents. Socialism at it's finest.
yeah so yesterday i went to giant eagle and bought some milk and bread. I also took a nap.
HaydenThomas :
"Property taxes in the city are incredibly low because of the low values of the property."
Your right . More is being paid on a lesser value of property .
These new rates are still only about 20% of rates in California and no rationing.
Stan, the city of Youngstown does NOT pay a higher millage than the suburbs. Many Youngstowners are actually drains on the tax system. Many are retired and on social security and medicare. Others are on medicaid. Some are on welfare. Some are on unemployment. Youngstown has very few currently productive citizens who are paying a fair share into the tax base of local, state, and federal coffers.
The city of Youngstown uses their water system to rape the suburbs and fund the city. The city water department is full of political appointees making way more than the jobs should pay.