With 20 or 30 percent of our residents out of a job, Fullerton is raising the cost of “essential” water.

The increase is programmed—approved by your city fathers – increases for the next 5 years – ostensibly to improve our decaying water system but primarily to sustain the water department.  Maybe we will get some pipes replaced next year or the year after that.  

Placing the blame on a citizen’s committee and a feeble City Council, the Fullerton Water Department claims that rates are “designed to treat customers fairly, reflect the true cost to provide water service, protect the water system’s financial stability, and fund the necessary infrastructure replacement and repairs.”

Hooey! Or as candidate Biden says, “that’s a bunch of malarkey.”  

Residents pay a fee just to have the pipe come to their house.  The notice states the rate increase will be “approximately $8.38 per month.” That is for a 5/8 inch meter-but most of the residents who have 1-inch meter it is a lot more.

Water conservation?  Hooey and malarkey!.  The rates allow big water users to proportionally pay less than those flushing less and watering landscape less.  This was built in ostensibly meeting state tax laws.  The city and the state should be ashamed. 

The city should delay this increase until people get back on their feet after the city council has forced them to not work—for businesses to close—for you to be a shut-in!

(My bill for May 2020 is $210, of which $10 is for water and the rest for city fees-in July it will go up by 10% or more).