So let me get this straight.

[bbinacan]

After mandatory water use limits, water consumption is down in my home town. That should be good right? You know, conservation of water. And how are we rewarded? The city wants to raise the cost by 17% because we followed the rules and cut consumption. I swear, the government runs a better racket then the Mafia. And yes I'm pissed off.:mad:

[villager]

1. You didn't reduce water so much you threatened cash flow & executive salaries did you!?

Naughty naughty!

[bbinacan]

8. Executive salaries in city govt?

They are trying to sell it by saying that our bond rating will drop. BS.

[villager]

10. here in L.A., the water district folk (DWP) *definitely* have "executive salaries"

...but I suppose the set-up isn't the same everywhere...

Watch that Bond Rating! ;-)

[OneGrassRoot]

2. I hear ya. Hi, neighbor.

Fortunately, I'm in the county, on a well.

:hi:

[bbinacan]

6. Howdy,

I'm from Raleigh.

[tridim]

3. Supply and Demand is a lie

I've never seen it work like I was taught in grade school.

[imdjh]

4. Same with power

I got all thrifty, replaced the AC and the HWH, turned the AC up, used very little heat in the "winter", and my reward was a 30% increase in my power rates in January. Naturally this is so Progress Energy can wean us off coal and oil.

I'm sick of this. No wonder people move to cabins in Idaho, burn wood, and shoot at revenuers.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. Supply goes down, prices go up.

Use less water.

[bbinacan]

9. We are using less water.

Read the post.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

14. I read your post.

Your city asked for water restrictions. Then raised water rates, probably to offset lost revenue.

Don't like it? Use less.

[bbinacan]

15. Then they will just

raise rates higher to offset the lack of revenue from further reduced consumption. And let me note, I'm on a work assignment outside of my home city and am using no water. How can I cut back more?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

16. Only if everybody else does it.

Well if you're not using any water, why the fuck are you whining about water rates?

[bbinacan]

20. Because I still

pay about $50 per 2 months for administative fees, etc. Very little water usage fees. IMO, the increase in rates will come in the admin fees, because those fees will not change regardless of the usage. Have you ever read the details of your bill?

[Spike89]

7. Same scenario for gasoline

The reality is that Oregon is running out of money for road maintenance because cars get better mileage on the average. A few years ago the state tried to put an added road tax on hybrid and electric cars and people went nuts. The argument was good--extra taxes destroy the incentive for vehicles we want people to buy. Yet the harsh reality is that a car getting 45 miles to the gallon pays half the road tax of one getting 22 mpg. Basically both can weigh about the same and cause the same amount of wear and tear on the roads (and weather actually wears the roads quite a bit too).

Basically, most municipalities here have either added to the gas tax or are in the process of doing so to maintain roads. I haven't really heard a serious plan for replacing the roads budget money when the day comes there is no gasoline being sold. I think the legislature is just hoping the replacement will be ethanol (easy to tax) rather than electricity (hard to tax).

[bbinacan]

12. You do what you're supposed

to do and get screwed for it. That sucks.

[BeFree]

19. Yep

Decreased revenue is a bad bad thing for governments.

And that is why there was always a great reluctance by the gov to raise mpg, they knew it would mean less money.

Looks like either roads don't get paved or some kind of per-mile tax will have to be instituted.

[Spike89]

21. A GPS/odometer proposal went nowhere

They did send up a trial balloon for per-mile tracking, but it was almost universally hated and just isn't politically viable.

[Randypiper]

11. Reminds me of the Oregon utility that got fined for overcharging their customers

So they raised their rates to pay the fines.

[bbinacan]

13. Figures. n/t

[JVS]

17. HAHAHAHA!

typical

[JVS]

18. HAHAHAHA!

typical