The Sioux Falls City Council is considering a 14% rate increase for your water starting next year.
This increase comes on the heels of a 5% sewer rate increase and not too many people are happy about it.
We spoke with both sides of the issue and clears up the mud, regarding your water.
For Theresa Stehly the possibility of water costs increasing is a startling one.
"I've got a lot of plants, I'm almost afraid to go water my pots because it's almost like watering them with gold," said Theresa.
Theresa is a strong opponent of the city's water hike. And has documented the city's rate increases ever since 2007.
Theresa says she is angered that while citizens and water users fight for every penny. The city seems to find a way to snatch them away.
"Instead of raising fees and taxes we need to be cutting back and streamlining things and using money as efficiently as possible just like many homeowners have been having to do," said Theresa.
But Public Works Director Mark Cotter says the increase is a necessary one.
"The majority of those costs are going right back into the ground we're expanding our infrastructure and rehabilitating it but the other key is that Sioux Falls is really positioning itself for the future," said Cotter.
A large part of the increase is to help pay for the city's future use of the Lewis and Clark reservoir.
Sioux Falls also continues to grow and Cotter says there are costs to expand the water system and to maintain it.
Bob Hanson is also opposed to the increase and after the June 6th informational meeting says he looked back through his own water bills and saw that in just four years his bill had nearly doubled.
"We're on a fixed income and we haven't had a cost of living increase in three years but they're putting in these increases like money's no object," said Hanson.
But Cotter says before these increases in 2007 rates stayed nearly the same for a decade.
Cotter also says these increases aren't based on the economy but on the council's decision in 2006 to join with Lewis and Clark.
"We made the recommendation to do incremental increase and it's actually taken this long overtime to reach this but this will be the last large rate increase," said Cotter.
Cotter says he too pays for the water and understands there is never a good time to increase rates.
But both Bob and Theresa just hope there are enough concerned citizens to convince the Sioux Falls City Council to hear their plea.
The City Council is set to vote on the rate increase at Monday's council meeting.
