Suburbs Don't Like Water Rate Increase: Then Buy Water Somewhere Else
Suburban communities don't want to pay for Milwaukee water at the rate Milwaukee has filed for review with the state Public Service Commission.
Maybe Milwaukee should simply send the water to the suburbs for free - - swallowing the pumping, infrastructure, maintenance and disinfection costs, as well as costs for basic services that keeps the city open for business.
Maybe the suburbs would like to have water delivered along with sweet roles and fresh berries, too?
What else would the suburbs like with their water? Maybe Milwaukee city workers could cut the lawns and fill the pools and wash everyone's car.
If suburbanites' sense of entitlement is that powerful, and they don't want to pay the proposed rate - - and let's see if the PSC approves Milwaukee's rate request - - then the burbs can go ahead and purchase water from Racine or Oak Creek, or WE Energy - - pretty far from Milwaukee and the suburbs' infrastructure, with water that is not cleaned to the high standard Milwaukee's Water Works provides through costly ozone filtration.
3 comments:
They ought to let the free market determine what they pay for water, since they love the market so much out there. Asking a "government" body to determine if this a fair increase goes against their ideology. Let them drink evian.
The City should just show how much a gallon of bottled water costs compared to tap water. The suburbs will now hire another lawyer to see if the price of premium and better bottled water-tap water from another source put in a bottle-is justified. Milwaukee can also point that it needs more money for police since the suburbs don't have affordable housing, the riff raff stays here. This could be a fee for Milwaukee keeping their communities riff raff free zones.
Be more careful what you wish for. All of the communities involved in this strongarm play own the infrastructure needed to deliver water. More importantly, some of them have the wherewithal to bring aboard the capital that would be needed to treat it. If MWW's suburban customers--most of whom have the very same rights as the City to draw lake water--were to organize into a treatment cooperative, or engage (horrors!) a private entity to provide treatment, the burden of MWW would (like the burden of other municipal services that are currently pressing on the City's fiscal resources) fall entirely to City taxpayers. Those of us who do pay City taxes would find that very, VERY costly.
Post a Comment