After the big push to restructure water rates the Spokane City Council will go back to the drawing board because of complaints like large anonymous billboards that showed up just before the general election and "non-partisan think tanks" like the Washington Policy Center claiming the aquifer is an abundant gusher. I'm sure there were other complaints but the rates didn't change for so long, that Spokane fell behind other cities.

The billboards directly criticize the Spokane City Council and Spokane Mayor Mary Verner about the water rates as you can see below:


I question the city reopening the discussion after implementing a tiered-rate structure that charges increasing rates the more water you use. It's conservation based. The structure seemed like a good  balance between the needs of low income, low volume users and the need to protect the aquifer and the Spokane River. (Check the Living River for more.) You can read more about the press release and Council President Joe Shogan ordinance after the jump.
 

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Here is the city press release: Spokane Council President Joe Shogan this week worked to reopen the discussion about water rates in the City of Spokane, following significant public concern about high summer watering bills that were generated under the tiered rate structure that took effect in January 2011.

The Council President has filed a new proposed water rate ordinance and said that he also was open to considering additional proposals including one to be brought forward by Mayor Mary Verner. The Mayor allowed water rate increases approved by Council last month to go into effect without her signature, and said she would develop an alternative proposal for consideration. “We have had several hundred or more complaints from citizens who don’t understand the rationale behind the amounts of their most recent water bills,” says Shogan.

“Because of this, I feel that now is the time to review and evaluate our entire water rate structure to include the base rate, consumption rates, and other charges.” The Council President’s work is intended to initiate and prompt a vigorous debate about this issue, with the goal of creating financial viable, functional, and understandable rate structure that would take effect by Jan. 1, 2012.

Here is the link to the ordinance.

 

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