I live 0.6 miles north of the city limit and I pay $105 per month for sewer only. My neighbor lives in a modular trailer with no land and pays $156 a month for sewer only. Per the Durango government website, there is an automatic two-times multiplier outside of the city limits.
County residents that are within 400 feet of a sewer line cannot opt to put in septic. We are forced onto a city utility and we cannot vote for the people who run it. Taxation without representation?
The 2017 National Average Sewer Rate Report proves that residents outside Durango city limits pay much more than residents in much larger cities. These are average yearly rates for most U.S. residents’ combined water and sewer.
Most County Road 203 residents are on Animas Water. The unfortunate residents that are connected to city water and sewer are paying $300-$400 a month for both utilities. Most of them are located on Florida Road.
It does not seem ethical for the city to be paying a contractor $79,000 a year for a report that justifies overcharging its residents. The report contains errors, the two largest being the figures for total costs and total usage.
At a Utilities Commission meeting, John Balew seemed interested in these findings. I believe he was told to cease his investigations by our city manager.
Where are the checks and balance? Whom do they answer to? Why don’t we have a voice?
Juliane Mortello
Durango
