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Water
rates unfair, says Pyrzynski
Cheboygan Tribune
- 8/20
CHEBOYGAN --
Puddles and water rates were the subjects of complaints by members
of the public during last week's Cheboygan City Council meeting.
Property owner Ed
Pyrzynski complained that the way the new water and sewer rates
went into effect is inequitable.
In June, the City
Council increased the water and sewer rates effective July 1.
Pyrzynski's most
recent bill indicated the new rates go back to April 1 for his
west side residence, he said.
"This
doesn't make sense," Pyrzynski said. "Everybody's
calling me up on this. On the east side we didn't have to pay
these new rates, on the west side we do. What's going on."
In making the
increases effective July 1, the city was actually stating that any
billings due after July 1 would have the new rates, said City
Manager Scott McNeil.
The city bills
for water and sewer in cycles, with some areas due one month and
others due the next. Residences are all billed quarterly.
"Any
receivables to us after July 1 would have the new rate in
conjunction with the new fiscal budget," said McNeil.
Therefore, anyone
whose bill came due in June would pay the old rate, and anyone
whose bill came due after July1 would pay the new rate for the
entire quarter, according to McNeil.
This is how rate
increases have pretty much been handled in the past, he said.
"If we were
going to use any type of phase-in, we would have to adjust the
budget accordingly, and of course we didn't do that," McNeil
said.
In a separate
matter, the issue of a large puddle of standing water that
persistently disrupts foot traffic on Main Street was raised by
resident Trudy Lofgren.
That puddle is
frequently found in front of the Salvation Army building,
projecting from deep in the parking lot, across the sidewalk and
into Main Street.
To get around it,
pedestrians have to walk way out into the middle of the street,
said Lofgren.
"It fills
the sidewalk," she said. "It comes out of the parking
area. You've got quite a puddle there. When you get a rain, it
doesn't leave right away. It could stay there two or three days.
It's kind of a problem."
Dennis Temple,
superintendent of the Cheboygan Department of Public Works, said
he would contact the Michigan Department of Transportation
regarding the problem.
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