Free Water for the EDC (UPDATE)
June 9th, 2008
It seems the city can’t even keep up with its own water bills.
This morning, Comptroller William Thompson released an audit that found the city’s Economic Development Corporation had not paid water or sewer bills for the last 22 years on a leased property in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The city’s Department of Environmental Protection has now billed the corporation $497,000, which covers the water and sewer costs for the last four years. New York Water Board rules prevent bills beyond that time period.
The corporation, which leases the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park, had not contacted the city to determine why it was not billed for costs within the terminal’s 97-acre area.
The city’s water rates have skyrocketed recently, because of this type of negligence, city officials have said. Because the city has failed to collect bills, rates continue to rise — the latest is a 14.5 percent increase to take effect in three weeks.
“A single family homeowner has watched the city’s water bill skyrocket by 464 percent over the last 22 years, while the terminal has watched its bill go up from zero to… zero,” said Thompson in a prepared statement.
For the full audit, go here.
UPDATE: The city’s Department of Environmental Protection says the rising water rate is largely attributed to higher operating and infrastructure costs, not to back payments. Here is a statement from the department’s commissioner, Emily Lloyd, following the rate hike approval in May.
“But even though we are very pleased with the results of our enforcement and revenue collections strategies, and with the positive impact they will have on our future collections, costs have grown in other areas. We have seen a more than $118 million increase in non-discretionary operations and maintenance costs, such as a dramatic growth in the cost of fuel and energy; increases in collective bargaining and health care costs: larger debt service payments on the Federally mandated projects that constitute two thirds of DEP’s capital budget, and also on other critical infrastructure projects, such as the Third Water Tunnel and the Delaware Aqueduct.”
A department representative also pointed out this explanation here.
By Courtney Gross on June 9, 2008, 2:57 pmIn category: Gotham City
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