Middletown Forum : Middletown water rates to increase

Middletown water rates to increase : Hmmm, paying a higher water rate...

Wed, 02 Dec 2015 14:45:10 +0000

Author: VietVet
Subject: 6210
Posted: Dec 02 2015 at 2:45pm

Hmmm, paying a higher water rate to support a raise for inept city management.

I feel much better now.

Middletown water rates to increase : Heard that they were going to...

Tue, 10 Nov 2015 20:01:06 +0000

Author: doughboy
Subject: 6210
Posted: Nov 10 2015 at 8:01pm

Heard that they were going to not only give city employees a 1% pay raise but also reclassify some positions to a higher pay grade. This means some will be getting double pay raises. I am willing to bet that the department directors get their pay grades moved higher. Guess where the money for the water rate increase is going, to line the pockets of the department directors raises.

Middletown water rates to increase : Uncle was a fighter pilot and...

Fri, 06 Nov 2015 21:20:54 +0000

Author: Cooper
Subject: 6210
Posted: Nov 06 2015 at 9:20pm

Uncle was a fighter pilot and loved the British race cars including the Jag XKE. I owned a B, a GT hard top, and a midget. The midget was the most reliable of them all, although almost killed on the PA turnpike when a trucker flipped me over and rolled down the turnpike 1/2 mile crushing the small window frame with less than a cm for head clearance. Those dual carbs that always had to be oiled and the electrical system was God awful, especially when it rained. Nickel, dime, MG, and city, all mean same. Unreliable and costly mistakes for buying or living. Did like the tight gear ratio though on the stick shift, but a Porshe is miles ahead of any MG ever built.

Middletown water rates to increase : Know what you mean by nickel and...

Fri, 06 Nov 2015 20:33:30 +0000

Author: VietVet
Subject: 6210
Posted: Nov 06 2015 at 8:33pm

Know what you mean by nickel and diming you to death. Had a 70 Jag XKE. Beautiful car for the first two years. 72 spoke wire wheels, wooden steering wheel, nice guage package, unique design. Ran fine with little reliability issues. Then, the first thing that went bad was the dam Lucas battery. Lucas electrics in British cars are the absolute worst. The fuses started blowing on the thermostatically controlled radiator fans and the car kept overheating. Didn't know if it would start or not the next day. Tune up on it was $110 bucks which was exhorbatant back then. Specialized labor at the Sports Car Forum in Columbus was high priced.The two carbs had to be rebuilt every so often because they had natural rubber floats in them and they would deteriorate to the tune of $65 bucks a carb......yeah, I know exactly what you went through with the MG. Was it a Midget, MGA, or a regular MG B just for interest?

Dam, I knew I should have bought that first Corvette instead. After I went through all that, I knew I had made the wrong choice. At the time, they both cost approx. the same (for the 327 Vette, although, obviously a 427 would have been much more preferred).

Middletown water rates to increase : acousinof mine had a old MGconvertible...

Fri, 06 Nov 2015 18:42:06 +0000

Author: bumper
Subject: 6210
Posted: Nov 06 2015 at 6:42pm

a cousin of mine had a old MG convertible and full of bondo when i was a kid, it sat in a dusty garage, half the motor parts missing, tires stayed flat for all the years that he had it, and it had bird doo all over it!! sounds like middletown to me!! but anyway holy cow thats a big raise on that water!! HUD won't be liking that!! i sure feel for all the good people stuck in this gone to craps city..

Middletown water rates to increase : Years ago when in college, I drove...

Fri, 06 Nov 2015 12:42:25 +0000

Author: Cooper
Subject: 6210
Posted: Nov 06 2015 at 12:42pm

Years ago when in college, I drove a nice little MG convertible. It was the most unreliable car I ever owned. Every time it would break down my father would send me money to pay for repairs. After averaging hundreds of dollars every 2-3 months, he starting saying, hey son, its time to get rid of that car is 'nickel and dime-ing' me to death. The city reminds me of my old MG, nickel and dimeing everyone in town, without efficiencies, without justification, without something gained in return.

The city is like that old MG, always breaking down, and always taking money for something needed elsewhere, to feed the beast at Donham. Bet this increase is to give city employees that 1.5% raise and add more employees, including the 5-6 that work in the useless law department and economic development group.

Gotta take exception to the remark on Katie McNeil. Katie lost because the voters demonstrated they were outraged the levy passed, which she led, without any score improvement. What a waste that levy passing was. Paying for too many worthless MG's in the city with the dimming light barely flickering anymore.

Middletown water rates to increase : Yep, called the water department...

Fri, 06 Nov 2015 11:34:35 +0000

Author: VietVet
Subject: 6210
Posted: Nov 06 2015 at 11:34am

Yep, called the water department the other day. Inquired about the senior water rates discount offered according to the workbook meeting notes from the 11/3 council meeting. Lady said yes, they have a discount water rate charge for seniors, are you over 65? Told her yes I was........then the clinching question that eliminated the majority from receiving any discount......"is your income level under $25 grand a year" she says. Nope says I. I asked her about the disability water rate discount. Told her the wife is paralyzed and receiving disability for it. Again the question from her "is your income level under $25 grand" she says again. Again, no says I.

So much for their dam senior and disability discount. As per the norm, they offer it knowing few will qualify for it.

The regular working person just can't catch a break no matter what is offered by the dam government at any level.

Guess we'll all have to take out a five year loan if they keep raising the rates around here just to do dishes, wash clothes and the cars and water the lawn.

I like how they tried to "soften the blow" by offering the graphic concerning other community rates in the area with Middletown offering a rate that is "almost giving the water away" according to them. Nice smokescreen. It's the sewer rate that's the killer on the old water bill.

Hey City of Middletown.....if you're going to jack up the rates all the time, how about offering a second meter for just the outside water faucets to cut us a break.

Middletown water rates to increase : Some day people are going to wake...

Fri, 06 Nov 2015 10:02:40 +0000

Author: acclaro
Subject: 6210
Posted: Nov 06 2015 at 10:02am

Some day people are going to wake up and do the simple math on their house and realize they have ownership of a house bought 20 years ago, worth 50% below what they paid for, that their taxes are the equivalent of a Mm dollar home in Scottsdale Arizona, and growing, that they get no service, that the city has done absolutely nothing, to grow new business revenue, and they are paying taxes so high while getting nothing in return.

7.5% increase just for the hell of it, no justification, just a money grab. This city drives new businesses and new residents away by these moronic moves, and has the audacity to indicate its goal is to help raise property values, and of course, test scores.

BTW, all new board members ran campaigns against the prep testing that would help the district get out of Continuous Improvement. By eliminating testing prep and the time required, Middletown CSD will never see a performance increase. To her credit, but 20 years is much to long, Katie McNeil realized testing measures performance and correlates to the increase gains in moving up and out of CI.

The only revenue generation the city and council KNOW is to raise taxes and fees on services provided.

Detroit, Springfield, and other cities with high taxes and crime, are examples of the direction Middletown is headed. No one wants to be shaken down on water rates, sewer rates, taxes, school levies, and roads so bad personal rainy day annual repair funds exceed $1,000. for broken tire rods, axles, and shafts.

Wrong move city and council....as usual, again.

Middletown water rates to increase : Don't forget that the sewer...

Fri, 06 Nov 2015 08:31:03 +0000

Author: Vivian Moon
Subject: 6210
Posted: Nov 06 2015 at 8:31am

Don't forget that the sewer rates were just increased also.
http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6114&title=sewer-bills-going-up
Sooo...what will be the next increase in service on your bill

Middletown water rates to increase : Posted: 3:59 p.m. Thursday, Nov....

Fri, 06 Nov 2015 08:17:58 +0000

Author: Vivian Moon
Subject: 6210
Posted: Nov 06 2015 at 8:17am

Posted: 3:59 p.m.Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015

Middletown water rates to increase

By Ed Richter

Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN —

Middletown residents andbusinesses will see a bump in their water rates for 2016 and 2017.

CityCouncil on Tuesday heard the first reading of an ordinance to increase waterrates by 7.5 percent and would cost atypical residential user an additional $2.22 per month. Council will hear thesecond reading and consider for possible adoption at its Nov. 17 meeting.

CityManager Doug Adkins said city water rates are reviewed on a two-year schedulein consideration of operational, maintenance and capital improvement needs andcosts of the water system.

Accordingto the annual Oakwood Water and Sewer Rate Survey for southwest Ohio, the city ranks asthe 18th lowest out of the 66 communities surveyed as of March 1, according toa staff report submitted to council from Scott Tadych, public works andutilities director. He said the city consistent ranks in the lower half of thesurveyed communities.

Therates in the annual survey is based on the usage of 22,000 gallons or 3,0000cubic feet during a three-month period.

Tadychsaid the water rates were last discussed in 2013 with rate increases of 5percent in 2014 and 2015. An overall rate increase of 7.5 percent wasrecommended to council.

Inaddition, Tadych said there was an oversight in the 2013 legislation that leftseveral rate classes unchanged for 2015 and that has been corrected in the newordinance. He said the affected rate classes included private fire line rates,large user rates and senior citizen rates which should have been increased by 5percent for 2015 but were not in the previous ordinance.

Ina related matter, council also heard the first reading of an ordinance toapprove a one-year continuation of the contract with SmartBill, Ltd., of Hebron, to outsource themailing of city water and sewer bills for 2016.

Thecity has contracted with SmartBill since 2009 and company will continue to providethe service at the current cost for 2016. The cost to send bills out to thecity’s approximately 21,000 customers is $0.13 cents a bill plus postage. Theordinance permits the expenditure of up to $120,000 a year to be equally paidout of the water and sewer funds.

Theapproximate monthly cost is $8,800 plus an additional $14,000 a year for stockcosts such as bills, envelopes, etc. However, the city will absorb the cost ofany postal rate increases.

Cityofficials said the company has provided excellent service since 2009. Beforecontracting with SmartBill in 2009, the city did all of the utility billings.