Golden Quill winner: Check to see if city owes you a refund

To the Editor:

It’s your money! It’s also refundable.

The January 2009 city invoice for water, sewer, garbage, recycling, etc. resulted in your paying too much.

The City Council amended the city services ordinance in November 2008 (first reading) and December 2008 (second reading) and by unanimous vote authorized increases for upcoming services effective January 2009.

The monthly rate of increase follows: water 20 cents centum cubic-feet or ccf; sewer 20 cents ccf; water and sewer availability $2; garbage 50 cents; city environment service charge 10 cents; recycling 50 cents.

Your invoice dated January 2009 was for the utilities provide in November and/or December 2008; however, the rates effective Jan. 1, 2009, had been applied to the services you used in November and or December 2008, which should have been billed at rates for 2008.

The amount of increase for a household/family will vary depending on the water/sewer usage for that month.

Obviously, the larger the family means more clothing to wash — more showers and shampoos and, yes, more flushes. You get the idea: a family uses more water/sewer than a one-person household.

In calculating increases for friends, neighbors, churches, one of the schools, I found the increases ranged from about $4 to $90. What about the various businesses: restaurants, gasoline stations, grocery stores, the “Y”, the clinic? Their “people traffic” requires gallons of water/sewer, resulting in big overpayments for 2008 services at 2009 increases.

Check your January 2009 invoice. It’s easy math to determine your increase. Some of you will have a billing for November and December and others for only December 2008.

May I also point out that there was a 6 cent per ccf increase authorized effective Jan. 1, 2010.

When that increase was not on my invoice for December 2009 services, I called City Hall about the January 2009 billing increases effective Jan. 1, 2009, applied to my December 2008 invoice. I was informed that, that issued had been resolved and I should contact member of the City Council. I did — no response — yet — it’s only been a year.

Don Martinson

Red Wing

Tags: red wing city council, opinion, letters