I was pleased to see that people besides myself are upset about these new water rates. (Last week, Cortez City Council did revert to a fixed rate instead of a tiered one.)
Some residents have put a lot of time, hard work and money into their landscaping. When I moved here, the city promoted nice yards, even with a yard of the month award. Now people will be penalized and can watch their hard work dry up and die.
There is talk about how much water residents use, but nothing was mentioned about how much the city uses. I would like the city to give us this information in gallons, not some stupid swimming pool comparison. City parks, golf course and all city properties.
Keep in mind that a great deal of this water runs down the street and never touches any vegetation. Tell us what that costs the residents based on the new rates.
Also, every time water rates are raised, we get the same old song and dance about pipes needing to be replaced. If the money were actually used for this, all of the water lines in the city should be new. One person commented on how much he was billed even though he was out of town. I have had that same experience. The meter reading system is far from accurate and not certified by anyone.
It just makes Cortez a lousy place to live, when we have city management like this.
Grace Peel
Cortez
