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Published Tuesday, March 6, 2012 | 11:50 a.m.
Updated Tuesday, March 6, 2012 | 3:24 p.m.
Steve Sisolak
Pat Mulroy
Las Vegas residents will see their water bills increase by $5 in May, after the Las Vegas Valley Water District board approved the surcharge to help cover debt payments over the next three years.
The flat-rate increase means retail businesses could see their bills increase by $36 and resorts would see their bills rise $2,200.
Approval by the Water District board didn’t come without challenges. Launce Rake, on the state board of the Sierra Club, held up his water bill of about $13. With a $5 increase, he will see an increase of about 40 percent in May. Meanwhile, he said, casinos and golf courses will experience only 2-6 percent increases.
He posited that because he’s a low-water user, “now I’m the enemy.” Though he conserves water, he still gets socked with a huge percentage increase.
Commissioner Steve Sisolak, chairman of the board, agreed. The increases make it appear as though conservation isn’t as important any more. “The more we conserve, the more revenue that the Water District needs, the more they increase rates,” he said.
The rate increase stems from outstanding debt incurred by the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the water wholesaler for several Southern Nevada water districts — in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Boulder City and Henderson. The agency is building a third intake at Lake Mead at a cost of some $800 million, to draw water from lower elevations should drought push the lake level lower.
From the Las Vegas Valley Water District alone the flat-rate surcharge will raise an additional $71 million.
Pat Mulroy, head of the Water Authority, said the money is needed because connection fees fell as development in Clark County slowed dramatically. For years, the agency relied on those fees to fund capital projects. When those fees dried up, the authority looked to its only remaining source of big revenue, water consumers.
But the authority board rejected a proposal to increase water rates based on consumption, arguing that it is too unreliable--if people see their bills increase, they could conserve more to save money. Then, the authority might have to raise rates again to meet its debt payments.
Instead, it settled on a flat-rate increase for the next three years.
After fielding complaints from businesses, however, Mulroy promised to evaluate how increases will be incorporated in 2016. She also promised that from now on the Water District will begin posting all material about its meetings--including lengthy back-up documents--online.
"Launce Rake, on the state board of the Sierra Club, held up his water bill of about $13. With a $5 increase, he will see an increase of about 40 percent in May."
Yeah, mines going up 50%. Plus, I'm paying 20-30% more than I was a few years ago.
All these corporate people that do not believe in social programs let companies like this add a surcharge to help recover what was lost due to their mismanagement of my monthly tithing. I will call it my mini monthly bailout for SNWA
You need to understand why we are all getting socked with this surcharge. Essentially we ratepayers are paying for mismanagement. Of course the Management of the LVVWD has always considered itself prudent and conservative. It was that "prudence" and "conservatism" which is costing us money now. When we could have had a straw deep enough to supply our water, LVVWD Management chose instead to "save" money by planning and building a "second straw" which is now not deep enough. So now we have to build and pay for a "third straw" when we could have built the second straw deep enough (and at a time when we had plenty of money to finance its' construction).
I can criticize this now because bank then I pointed out that the second straw wasn't going to be deep enough.
But this is chump change compared to what this "prudent" and "conservative" LVVWD Management has been getting us into. We have only a certain ability to service debt. That will be pretty well exhausted by the LVVWD plan to build a very expensive pipeline to draw water from Northeastern Nevada. The amount of water we can wring out of NE Nevada will not be enough to sustain Las Vegas if the drying out of the Southwest continues. Yet the LVVWD has for over 20 years systematically squelched any alternative to the NE Nevada groundwater plan, leaving us with the prospect of maxing out our bonding ability for an expensive and unreliable water supply which will be inadequate for our needs.
Wait a second. If the fee were consumption based instead of a flat fee, people might be smarter about how they use water and conserve more? Oh, the humanity!
Further proof there isn't a water shortage, there's a money shortage and everyone is going to pay.
My average water bill is $14 a month. This rate hike amounts to a 25% rate hike for me. How is this fair?
We are in the desert and we need water. Think about not being able to flush your toilet again. Michigan or upstate NY with all those lakes is ready to invite new residents. Don't let the door slam you in the butt on the way out. I will just pay the extra $5.
I agree with Vegas Engineer...
If the board needs $5mil to meet debt obligations - re-write the debt or better yet, come up with the $5mil internally (salary reductions, vehicle perks, cell phone cut backs)
LV logic at work again. Why insult citizens with your reasoning. You want more money and you are taking it. Fletcher, in "The Outlaw Josie Wales" said something to the effect of, "Senator, don't pi$$ down my back and tell me it's raining." Water or energy, it is all the same ridiculous insulting game.
The increase doesn't have anything to do with the debt load on the building of the Springs Preserve now does it? All of the millions of taxpayer dollars that went to build that "showplace", are the loans coming due?
This is outrageous. In the past 5 years I have seen my bill go from about $7. a month to $19. And now another increase? Why don't they just take away $5.from all the employees they overpay. There has to be a revolution soon or the rich is going to eliminate the middle class completely and it will indeed become one world order.
And still Wynn continues to have his 23 fountains in each casino where more water evaporates in 1 day that the rest of us use in a month.
Hey crybabies do me a favor and educate yourself about the "economy of scarcity" and then do yourselves a favor and educate yourselves about the alternatives.... We continue to reap what WE sow.
Big babies.
Immediately invoke a building moratorium in Southern Nevada. Only building allowed is on previously developed pad/parcels. And, when built, any and ALL conservation devices are to be installed and enforced.
This is a DESERT with limited resources. Time that good thinking replace the bad thinking and greed that has brought us to this point!
Blessings and Peace,
Star
How come whenever my 'debt' increases I'm not available to force my employer to automatically increase my pay by 10, 20 or even 40% to help pay MY bills? Since when does the Water Companies debt become their users problem?
..should say 'able to' (not available to) :(
This is kinda of funny people stating that mismanagement is the problem. I have a vacation home to get away from the heat of 42 years here in Las Vegas I go to a little town in Utah. You think that you are being screwed. Yet these people in Utah say they are ultra conservetive, I pay 36 dollars a month just for the hook up(no water usage) and better yet I pay 45 dollars for sewer each month and now get this the more the water I use the more the sewer bill, so if I use more water this year my sewer bill goes up next year some people there are paying 56 dollars a month just for sewer. That's not all the city charges me 25 dollars a month for 1 can for garbage. So stop your griping we are getting a great deal compared to the we are a very tight budget city here in Utah that they keep BS the people that live there for there daily lives yet they do not complain.So lets add this up 96 dollars a month I pay for if I don't use one ounce of water, never flush the toilet and leave the grabage can next to the house. Las Vegas pay 42 dollars for the same service now add the 5 dollar surcharge 47 dollar. Seems like Las Vegas is very well managed.
Time to charge the water wasters. Let's go with a nominal amount for the first 1,000 gallons, a bit more for the second 1,000 and so on. I've seen where water districts assume about 2K per person in consumption indoors--a bit excessive but probably an average when you include areas with no shortages. So for every 1,000 or fraction above the baseline, charge more, increasing the bill as waste continues. Stop the increases in monthly fees and make up for it with excessive residential consumption. Could even assume an average of 2 or 3 residents per household and "penalty" bill those who consume more than 4,000 per month. It's your choice if you insist on lawns and greenscapes that are not drought hardy.
Okay so my rates are ONLY going up $5.00. But wait! I now only pay $4.92 for my water usage and a "daily water service fee" of $8.70. So my water rate is going up 101.6%? My overall bill will increase 36.6%? And this is a small amount? In who's universe? Let's see, I got a 3.6% increase in my Social Security this year and everything else has gone up.
the difference with this over say Smith's raising a price for these same type of mismanagement issues, is we see this one because SNWA is regulated. All of businesses do this.
Why do you think the Slots are so tight now compared with 5 yrs ago? Simple they budgeted paying for those new fancy Casinos on unrealistic growth models. When the economy dipped, they turned the screws on the machines.
This is the system folks. The one most on this forum otherwise would protect with their lives. Nothing personal at all, just business. That is it's nature.