Sewer rates outrageous

Last year I wrote a letter to this paper regarding the city of Spokane’s outrageous increases in our sewer bills. If you remember, the city saw fit to raise our rates 15 percent in 2010 and 17 percent in 2011. Well, people, they did it again. This time they raise the rate another 13 percent. We have now received a compounded increase of 53 percent over the past three years. How do we, as a society, stop these “business-challenged bureaucrats” from continuing such irresponsible actions?

In a time of zero inflation, and banks giving less than 1 percent on savings accounts, how does the city justify double-digit increases for three straight years? The public complains when Avista raises their rates 10 percent or gas jumps from $3 per gallon to $4, but we do nothing when the people who work for us decide to raise rates by 53 percent on a service we must have.

Do we have an option, or do we just sit on our toilets and flush our money down the drain while the good old boys and gals at the sewer district collect their paychecks?

Jim Wieber

Spokane