I watered during this last dry winter as advised by Durango Nursery and others. I was happy to pay for the additional water but was not aware that my “sewer consumption,” one of the eight items the city bills us for, is also calculated by water use during the months of January, February and March. And that amount of water use determines your “sewer consumption” costs for the entire next year. As a result, my sewer consumption went from two to eight, meaning that I would now pay $1,001.28 per year rather than the $250.32 I had paid annually for the last several years. This is a difference of $750.96 and represents a 300 percent rise, just for this one part of the city utility bill. This is unreasonable. When I inquired, the city said they could not adjust my account, and that I must pay the $1,001.28. The city also told me that ignorance was no excuse for the law. OK, but for just this one provision you need to: Go to City Code, then to Version: APR 24, 2018 (current); then to Ch 25 – Utilities; then Article III – Sewer and Sewer Disposal; then to Division 4 – Rates and User Charge System; then to Sec. 25 – 114 – Service Rates; Surcharge. I wonder how many folks have done this? I looked back through the last seven months of city utility bills and found no material that might have educated us about the sewer consumption fee and how it was calculated.
Bart Womack
Durango
