ATTENTION: NYC Water Board Proposes Rate Increase, Offers Improved Billing Options

There is a proposed alteration of the New York City Water Board's water and sewer rates and billing policies for FY12, which would take effect July 1, 2011.

An increase of 7.5% has been proposed. This would raise the annual water-and-sewer charge for an average single-family home from approximately $816 in FY 2011 to $877 in FY 2012, an increase of $61 per year or $5 per month. However, the FY12 proposal also includes a one-year, 2% discount for metered customers who subscribe to receive their water bills via email, and have their billed charges automatically debited from their checking accounts or paid via credit card. For customers who participate in both the paperless billing and direct debit programs, the net rate increase is reduced to 5.4%, which equates to $44 per year for the average single-family homeowner.

In addition to the general 7.5% increase and the 2% discount for meter-billed customers who participate in the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) direct debit and paperless billing programs, the Board is considering the following changes:

(1) Installment payment agreement terms will be revised to include options for no down payment, a repayment period of up to ten years, and new default provisions;
(2) Customers subject to a denial of access proceeding currently receive all three required notices by both first-class and certified mail. The Board proposes to change the delivery of the first required notice, which has no concurrent financial impact on the customer, to first-class mail only; the final two required notices will continue to be sent by both first-class and certified mail;
(3) The maximum fixture flow-rates to qualify for a reduced water rate pursuant to the Board’s Comprehensive Water Reuse program will be conformed to recent changes to the NYC Plumbing Code;
(4) For registered participants in the lead and copper monitoring program, a new credit of $25 will be applied to a customer’s water bill upon successful completion of a lead and copper monitoring test.

In accordance with the Public Authorities Law, the Water Board will hold public hearings in each borough of the City on the proposed FY 2012 rates and charges for water and sewer service--

Brooklyn
Public School 102
211 72nd Street
Brooklyn, NY 11209
Wednesday
May 4, 2011
7:00 P.M.

Please call the Office of Council Member Letitia James at (212) 788-7081 if you have any further questions, or would like to testify at the public hearing.