terry_martinez•16d agoProlific Poster

Serious question, is everyone just cool with the new water bill fee for 'infrastructure' that popped up last month?

I got my bill from the Albuquerque Water Authority and there's a new $14.50 monthly charge they claim is for pipe replacement, but I think it's just a sneaky way to raise rates without calling it a rate hike.

3 comments

3 Comments

the_kim16d ago

My bill from the city last month had that same fee. It's not just a few bucks, it adds up to almost $175 a year on top of the regular water cost. They say it's for old pipes, but they never show us a real plan for where the money goes. Feels like a backdoor tax increase because they know people would complain if they just raised the base rate.

markm2716d ago

Yeah @the_kim, that's a total scam. They did the same thing here with a "stormwater fee" that just appeared one month. It's always some vague "infrastructure" excuse, but you never see crews actually fixing anything on your street. Just feels like a slush fund they can tap without having to vote on a real tax hike. Makes you wonder what else they're hiding in those bills.

susan_ward4d ago

My bill had that same surprise guest... my wallet did a double-take. It's the perfect fee for someone like me who still has a VHS player... funding infrastructure from a time I actually understand. They'll probably use the money to fix pipes I didn't know were broken, just like I didn't know my VCR was a relic.