Councilor pushing for water rate freeze

RIO RANCHO, N.M. (KRQE) – The cost of water in one New Mexico city is so high a city councilor wants to freeze rate hikes for a few years. Chuck Wilkins, who represents District 1 in Rio Rancho, says the city doesn’t need more of your money and that it has enough to pay for things itself. Water rates in Rio Rancho are some of the highest in the state, second only to Santa Fe.
“We did notice a big increase after we moved here,” Michele Ely said, who moved to the City of Vision three years ago from Illinois.
“Our bill is probably like $230 a month just for water,” Sarah Russell said.
Last year, the city’s governing body approved a series of five water rate increases over a span of five years. When it’s over, rates could go up by about 35 percent.
City Councilor Chuck Wilkins wants to halt those rate hikes – for now.
“You know, in time, we probably will need rate increases again, but right now I think we have the availability to help people while the economy is still rough,” he said.
Wilkins wants to freeze the hikes for two years starting in July.
“So, my goal would be to zero those two out, do away with them,” Wilkins said.
He points to money from the legislature over the last two years that has helped cushion the utilities budget. Many are on board with his idea.
“Every little bit counts so it’s nice to have a little taken off,” Russell said.
“I just think it’s a really good and it helps the middle class especially and those that really have to watch their spending also, the lower class,” Ely said.
Failing old water lines are a big part of the why the rate increase was originally brought up and put into effect.
“There have been two on our street within the last probably six months,” Russell said, adding one tore apart her driveway.
A massive sinkhole opened up this past summer near Western Hills and Idaho Falls when a line there bit the dust. The city is scrambling to replace thousands of lines with new copper ones.
“We’re probably close to 15,000 (lines),” Wilkins said.
Not everyone’s thrilled with the plan just yet.
City Councilor Shelby Smith says he’s waiting before he gets behind things, saying he wants to hear from the utilities commission and not just one guy. Another councilor we spoke with, Mark Scott, said he’s in support of Wilkins’ idea. A third, Cheryl Everett, told KRQE News 13 she would like to see how this would impact things in the long run, but says repairs do need to be made sooner than later.
Wilkins will continue working on getting this finalized at a meeting in January when the mid-year budget is reviewed.
Santa Fe continues to have the highest water rates in the state. A study last year revealed the average bill was $153 a month. This past summer in Albuquerque, people actually saved so much water the Water Utility Authority hiked rates 5 percent.

http://krqe.com/2014/12/02/councilor...r-rate-freeze/


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