Fire Hydrant Refund Means Ratepayers Take a Bath
Seattle Public Utilities customers got a notice in the mail this week that they will be receiving a refund on their water bills.
Seems that the city has been adding the hydrant costs to your water since, oh, the Great Seattle Fire 2002. Turns out that’s a no-no according to the State Supreme Court, so the city is now paying hydrant costs out of the general fund and paying refunds (about $45) to decent, water-using ratepayers between the years 2002 and 2004.
So far so good, but because there isn't money in the general fund for the refunds, the refund notice included news of a temporary rate increase for SPU customers equal to 10.2 percent (about $59--that extra $14 may be going to cover the $4.2 million in court fees the suit racked up).
Only in Seattle can news that we’ve all been bilked for cash be accompanied by news that the bilk goes on.
KOMO quotes City Council member Richard Conlin, who put his spin on it: "We are having an accounting game," he said. "It's basically saying, 'We're sorry you paid it from this pocket, instead it should have come from this pocket.'"
