W.U.C. and Enwin have decided that they want to load Windsorites with an additional 30% rate hike. The burden on rate payers weighs in at a staggering 116% since 2007 (the 30% increase will be spread out over three years).
In case anyone has forgotten, the original 86% was explained off as earmarked for replacement of Windsor's aging water supply and sewer infrastructure. As can be expected there were immediate questions. Like: "Windsorites have been paying utility bills since the beginning. A part of those monies was supposed to go towards infrastructure maintenance and replacement costs along the way. Why didn't this happen and where did all of that money go? Why are we, all of a sudden, paying again and why all at once?" Those observations and concerns were for deaf ears as far as WUC is concerned. Their rationalle for the latest additional 30% is creative: "We need it to replace aging infrastructure". The Mayor's response: "Pay as we go".
As it is, people in Windsor are having a hard time with current rates. Windsor Rate Hikes and Seniors People have reduced consumption only to find that their bills have doubled. Orange door tags are being hung in abundance and Enwin is showing little concern. One Star commenter wrote: "I'm on the budget plan and often end up paying my bills bi-monthly, but they always get payed in full or overpaid when I pay them. Needles to say, I get a lot of notices. I just find it funny that they send threatening notices for an amount less than $400.00 when they have $1000.00 of my money accrued in their account. What are they really threatening to do, shut off my power and send me a check? The mere thought just makes me shake my head in bewilderment."
And this one: "Is this true...Bright orange piece of not paid your bill paper! Well aren't they the compassionate ones. Hope Enwin is proud of themselves, who do they have in their Public Relations Department anyway? Shame on you Enwin." So all of this frustration leads us to...
The Big Experiment
A lot of people are very angry with the amount of adders and surcharges on their bills. What do you think?Take a look at this billing that one reader sent in:
Click on images to enlarge
Pay particular attention to all line items with red markings and numbers.
Item 1:
Right out of the gate they start with a late fee of .76 cents. Keep in mind that no electricity was used and no water was used for at least two months in a row.
Item 2:
Circled numbers indicate zero usage for both hydro and electricity.
Item 3:
An $11.70 delivery charge to deliver nothing.
Item 4:
A .25 cent regulatory charge???
Item 5:
All of a sudden we have a total electricity charge of $12.55 but no electricity has been consumed. Instead of "Total Electricy Charge" why don't they call it "Total Added Charges"?
Item 6:
A fixed water meter charge of $16.84. How much could a meter be worth? This one is at least 26 years old. Thats 312 months X $16.84. Thats $5,254.08 and counting!
Item 7:
A watermain replacement levy of $7.58! The water main on this particular street was replaced over 20 years ago. So what do they need extra infrastructure money for? Why the rate hikes?
Item 8:
Now we have a total water charge of $24.42 but no water was consumed. Again...Why call this "Total Water Charge"?
Item 9:
A waste water fixed component of $14.16 even though no water was consumed so none could have been wasted.
Item 10:
Here they have to admit that there was no consumption. $0.00. Bet they had to struggle with that.
Item 11:
Total waste water charges of $14.66. Maybe this should be called an "Empty Pipe Fee".
Item 12:
A total amount due of $51.89 of which none is hydro or water. That means that $50.53 (tax and late fee deducted), the entire bill, is just service charges!
Fun With Math Anyone?
It is now safe to assume that each of 83,825 households (2002 statistics) pays at least $50.53 each month without using any water or hydro at all. That works out to $4,235,677.00 each month! Times that by 12 months in a year and you get $50,828,127.00. Adjusted for the water component alone the number is $38,807,622. This figure does not include the margins on product/service and it does not include commercial and industrial figures. No wonder filling the downtown canal with municipal water doesn't make the mayor flinch. The obvious question on every rate payers mind: "What is WUC/Enwin and the City of Windsor doing with all of that money and why do they need more"?
By the way...The average homeowners bill as published in the Windsor Star is $87.46. How can that possibly be when the above water bill based on zero consumption is $38.58? There is obviously something in Windsor's drinking water.
14 comments:
Wow. I don't know what else to say!
This is all a bit ridiculous, to say the least. I wonder how Windsor's utility rates compare with other city's?
At first I was thinking, "higher utility bills = more conservation efforts", but if you pay that much for not using ANY electricity/hydro... sheesh.
Yeah- ridiculous.
My bro lives in Surrey, BC. His first utilities bill for family of 5? $14. He may be paying more in real estate but his bill here was close to $200/month.
Wo!...
My water usage for the same month was 30 CM. For that they charged me $35.99. I have a family of three. Compare that to zero usage for $24.42 in your example. Why even bother to conserve? My waste water charge was $69.23. Almost two times my water charge! What is that all about? Maybe grey water and urine make it more valuable. All of this looks very suspicious.
ENWIN is going to put us all in the poor house. Seriously, the rates are way, way too high lately.
A scam is a scam.
This article may have been from February of this year, but the topic is still very relevant. WUC has come out with its demand for even higher rates; just in time for the deadline the upper level of government has stipulated. They are wanting to charge 34% increase spit evenly over 5 yrs with no end or justification in sight. Maybe I'm reading more into this than there is, but it certainly smells like a "make work" project that isn't being done but being continually paid for. And to keep on benefiting the people who waste the greatest amount of water with 95% of the operating charges being front end loaded it just insanity of the highest calibre. It desperately needs to be scrapped & have accountants create a fair payment table that works for the conservationists as well as those keeping an eye on their nickels and dimes.
To Bonny...
You are right on the money. In their last live-cast meeting they pretty much admitted that that they misappropriated funds over the last 60 years. Monies that were supposed to be earmarked for on-going maintenance and new infrastructure were diverted to other things like the municipal budget or special projects. Most businesses that get themselves into that situation would take their licks and do what they have to do out of pocket/reserve funds, cost cutting measures or borrowing but alas they also admitted that they do not have any reserve funds and that they cannot borrow enough money to do the job from the banks either. They isist that this generation of tax payers take the entire hit on a pay as you go basis (a Francis mandate)rather than spreading the cost out over a longer period of say 50 years.
There is one other scenario floating around out there. The reason that they want to jack the rate so high is to make the utility look as profitable as a cash cow so that they can flip the utility out to the private sector. To a P3 operator. This will end the days of the WUC as a "public utility". At that point we can all kiss reasonable and affordable rates good-bye forever. Everyone should keep in mind that the public utilities were established in the first place to serve the public with the best possible and affordable rates as a "not for profit" entity.
I never knew ridiculous was another word for corruption. I have only lived in Windsor for approx. 5 years and this months bill has risen almost $50 and I have conserved much more.
Windsor does not care about it's community or whether or not there is some sort of quality living. Over my short time here, I adamantly stuck up for Windsor, trying to be positive but I am starting to now realize the future I thought I had here is gone.
Almost forgot my good stats as well.
Water Charges
9 CM @ 0.266 = $2.39
Total bill = $58.54
To anonymous 07/14/2010...
Thanks for sharing your pain and burden. The WUC's business model is so wrong it makes for good social disorder. Add this: How many pounds of paper junk mail do they stuff in all of their billings. And what kind of public utility needs such a large public relations department like the WUC has? Why? Here's another thought. Their excuse is that they have to change out 90 year old infrastructure. A portion of everyones bill for the past 90years was supposed to be earmarked for infrastructure maintenance and replacement. They obviously frittered that away. Now they want a single generation of ratepayers to pay for a brand new system. The kicker. The new system is entirely made of plastic which will never foul like the old steel pipes and it will last at least four times as long as the old steel system. Why then don't they finance it out over twenty years and spread the hurt over at least two generations. Don't tell us that its because the interest rate makes it too costly because they would make us pay for that anyway. Same as the mortgage on our homes. Rumour has it that the reason that they do not want to finance is because they can't. They do not even have enough reserve or assets to guarantee a loan. Then, of coarse, the other speculation is that they are trying to fatten the pig up to make it look more lucrative and attractive so that they can spin it off to the private sector. Once that happens we can all kiss affordable energy goodbye.
Firstly, I'm grateful to have blogs such as these and it's funny for the first time in my life since moving to the area I have actually taken an interest, or I should say, looked to the future and care what happens locally. I guess that comes with maturity, as well I find myself listening to an AM station, thats right, I could never figure out why my parents would listen to an AM station growing up, now I do, to get informed, just as I do coming here.
I've actually grown to love it here and that's coming from someone who lived on the West coast most of their life but now I find myself reevaluating my future and some may feel it's frivolous but it's these outrageous charges that all start to feed the fire. I'm saddened by the whole situation and the possibility that once again I may have to pull up my stakes and start all over again, I'm only asking for some sort of quality of life.
280/month for the past two months, up from 185 since the stupid meter. What are we suppose to do?
Sad that this was over two years ago already and nothing has changed. Despite all the investments and effort I've made into making my home energy- and water-efficient, my EnWin bill just keeps creeping up and up.
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