OGDEN -- Mayor Matthew Godfrey is asking the city council to immediately change Ogden's water rates because he contends customers without secondary water are being overcharged.
Of about 25,000 city water customers, about 16,000 don't have secondary water and rely on culinary water for both indoor and outdoor uses.
The remaining 9,600 customers pay about $150 as an assessment as part of their property taxes for secondary water from Pine View Water District and are billed by the city for culinary water, Godfrey said.
"Homeowners and developers don't have the ability to choose whether or not they have secondary water," Godfrey said in an email to the Standard-Examiner.
"Pineview Water either has them connected to their system or they don't. Those that have secondary water pay for it with property taxes, but end up paying far less than those that do not have access to secondary."
In addition, those without secondary water are paying more for culinary water than those with secondary water, Godfrey said.
"So for the privilege of paying hundreds of dollars more per year to water their lawn and garden, the current structure charges them more for their house as well," he said. "This is unconscionable and needs to be remedied immediately."
The city council is reviewing Godfrey's request, said Bill Cook, the council's executive director.
Customers without secondary water using about 37,000 gallons, which is about average for home and lawn use, currently pay $94.45 a month, Godfrey said.
Those with secondary water using the same number of gallons pay about $25 in property taxes during the six-month watering period and $26.21 to city for culinary water for a total of $51.21 per month, Godfrey said.
Godfrey is recommending that the rate for 37,000 gallons remain the same for secondary water users and lowered to $61.58 a month for those without secondary water.
Existing water charges are tied to an extensive study completed for the city council in 2007 by Lewis, Young, Robertson & Burningham, a Salt Lake City consulting firm, to increase rates to fund about $52 million infrastructure improvements.
Comments