Status: Closed — this petition is no longer accepting signatures.
Final supporters
Please find below, a list of concerns regarding the increase in water tariff rates as per letter from lang bay water works dated Nov 25,2020
We are the residents that reside south of town on Lang Bay Road. We have received a letter from Lang Bay Waterworks Ltd to notify us of their application for increase in water tariff charges to take affect January 2021.
We have a few concerns about this and they are listed below.
When the new owners took over a couple years ago, they increased the tariff from $200-$300 per person to $734.4. This was to bring us up to industry norm, fix what needed fixing and make sure we had clean drinking water.
Now they are asking for a 33% increase (on top of a yearly 2% increase) for the same reasons that the first increase was for.
We have not seen a large change to water quality. Still often cloudy and tinted especially after rain. Lots of mud in filter. The only noticeable change since new owners increased the tariff is less pipe breaks. We are paying for water but we also feel the need to purchase our drinking water from the store.
The people living on my property that each pay for water are either on senior pension or disability. The current tariff is already very difficult to pay for all of us.
- for our one property we have to pay $2203.20 per year.
-if it is allowed to go through it will be $960 per household per year. $2880 per year for our property alone.
That is a very large amount just for water. And I can’t see how that plus, all the other people that pay for water south of town here isn’t enough for the lang bay water works to run and maintain at industry norm.
Thank you for taking our concerns into consideration. If you are also against the proposed increase, please take the time to sign our petition. Thanks so much.
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Updates
December 8, 2020
The feedback I keep receiving from neighbors confirms that we are all paying for a service we cannot even drink. I am currently drafting a formal response to the water board to challenge these recurring costs. Email your local representatives today to demand a freeze on these hikes until the water quality actually improves.
December 8, 2020
The momentum behind this challenge is growing and the message to Lang Bay Waterworks is becoming impossible to ignore. Take five minutes right now to call your local representative and demand an open review of these rate hikes. Send the petition link to your neighbors on Lang Bay Road so we show a united front at the upcoming hearing.
20 Comments
Taking a look at the financial documents Lang Bay Water Works sent me we are already covering the needed upgrades that would have been know during time of purchase. The new request appears to be needed for interest payments on long term debt, large increases in wages, phone bills, internet, vehicle payments and emergency fund loan re-payments. I am not convinced the increase is needed. Will our rates go down when all the loans are paid off?
This increases have been astronomical within a short amount of time. We have not been consulted, nor understand what exactly is the reason for them and there are no guarentees this wont continue
The age and condition of the system was known at time of purchase and was the justification for the increase at that time. What has changed? Profit taking at the “encouragement” of the regulator, encouragement was claimed in the notice from Lang Bay Waterworks. No information on planned work or schedule to completion. Oversight?
We still have to use bottled water for drinking and some cooking. Toilet valves still fail after too much sediment builds up inside it. Fix existing problems before increasing it again.
We should not be paying for the other water system upgrades by joining the systems together. Especially during this pandemic of people out of work. Less money for lots of people.
Over 33% increase for non-potable water. Yikes
Why are the customers being charged to pay for new equipment & infrastructure for a privately owned company. It is not a co-op. The thousands we are being charged with the threat to have our water shut off if we don’t pay up is scandalous. Will this new equipment last 100 years? More? Why isn’t it prorated at least. Meanwhile the waterworks owners are flashing their newfound wealth all over town with a new home build & fancy vehicles. There needs to be an investigation into this. Possibly a class action suit.
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Status: Closed — this petition is no longer accepting signatures.
Final supporters
Please find below, a list of concerns regarding the increase in water tariff rates as per letter from lang bay water works dated Nov 25,2020
We are the residents that reside south of town on Lang Bay Road. We have received a letter from Lang Bay Waterworks Ltd to notify us of their application for increase in water tariff charges to take affect January 2021.
We have a few concerns about this and they are listed below.
When the new owners took over a couple years ago, they increased the tariff from $200-$300 per person to $734.4. This was to bring us up to industry norm, fix what needed fixing and make sure we had clean drinking water.
Now they are asking for a 33% increase (on top of a yearly 2% increase) for the same reasons that the first increase was for.
We have not seen a large change to water quality. Still often cloudy and tinted especially after rain. Lots of mud in filter. The only noticeable change since new owners increased the tariff is less pipe breaks. We are paying for water but we also feel the need to purchase our drinking water from the store.
The people living on my property that each pay for water are either on senior pension or disability. The current tariff is already very difficult to pay for all of us.
- for our one property we have to pay $2203.20 per year.
-if it is allowed to go through it will be $960 per household per year. $2880 per year for our property alone.
That is a very large amount just for water. And I can’t see how that plus, all the other people that pay for water south of town here isn’t enough for the lang bay water works to run and maintain at industry norm.
Thank you for taking our concerns into consideration. If you are also against the proposed increase, please take the time to sign our petition. Thanks so much.
Updates
December 8, 2020
The feedback I keep receiving from neighbors confirms that we are all paying for a service we cannot even drink. I am currently drafting a formal response to the water board to challenge these recurring costs. Email your local representatives today to demand a freeze on these hikes until the water quality actually improves.
December 8, 2020
The momentum behind this challenge is growing and the message to Lang Bay Waterworks is becoming impossible to ignore. Take five minutes right now to call your local representative and demand an open review of these rate hikes. Send the petition link to your neighbors on Lang Bay Road so we show a united front at the upcoming hearing.
20 Comments
The requested payments are beyond unacceptable. Even if the multi million dollar upgrades were necessary, any normal business does not expect to pay off the full capital costs in such a short time frame. The normal course would be to captitalize the cost over the useful period that the upgrades are expected to last. For example: if $2M in upgrades are required, and the upgrades are expected to last 25 years, then $80k per year would be ammortized. An expectation for current land owners to foot the bill over a few years is non sensical.
Taking a look at the financial documents Lang Bay Water Works sent me we are already covering the needed upgrades that would have been know during time of purchase. The new request appears to be needed for interest payments on long term debt, large increases in wages, phone bills, internet, vehicle payments and emergency fund loan re-payments. I am not convinced the increase is needed. Will our rates go down when all the loans are paid off?
This increases have been astronomical within a short amount of time. We have not been consulted, nor understand what exactly is the reason for them and there are no guarentees this wont continue
The age and condition of the system was known at time of purchase and was the justification for the increase at that time. What has changed? Profit taking at the “encouragement” of the regulator, encouragement was claimed in the notice from Lang Bay Waterworks. No information on planned work or schedule to completion. Oversight?
We still have to use bottled water for drinking and some cooking. Toilet valves still fail after too much sediment builds up inside it. Fix existing problems before increasing it again.
We should not be paying for the other water system upgrades by joining the systems together. Especially during this pandemic of people out of work. Less money for lots of people.
Over 33% increase for non-potable water. Yikes
Why are the customers being charged to pay for new equipment & infrastructure for a privately owned company. It is not a co-op. The thousands we are being charged with the threat to have our water shut off if we don’t pay up is scandalous. Will this new equipment last 100 years? More? Why isn’t it prorated at least. Meanwhile the waterworks owners are flashing their newfound wealth all over town with a new home build & fancy vehicles. There needs to be an investigation into this. Possibly a class action suit.
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The requested payments are beyond unacceptable. Even if the multi million dollar upgrades were necessary, any normal business does not expect to pay off the full capital costs in such a short time frame. The normal course would be to captitalize the cost over the useful period that the upgrades are expected to last. For example: if $2M in upgrades are required, and the upgrades are expected to last 25 years, then $80k per year would be ammortized. An expectation for current land owners to foot the bill over a few years is non sensical.