Member
Posts: 71 
Location: Kingston, Ontario
Location: Kingston, Ontario
February 21st, 2005, 01:33 PM
We were previously paying the water and sewage on our yearly tax bill however the city now charges it in a monthly bill.
The City has levied a 2 tiere method of payment to consumers, if you use over 25m3 per month(the limit set for a family of 4). So......they read the meter every 3 months, meaning that 2 months are estimated. The 2 estimates are always showing a high m3 amount of water used while the third month, the actual reading shows a low m3 used.
If you pay in this method......say the estimates show you used 40m3 per month for your first 2 bills (because of estimated readings) and then the 3rd bill (actual reading) shows you used 4m3. Over the 3 month period you have used 83m3 of water. Because you pay monthly for your water, the 2 estimated bills show you using 40m3 per month for the first two months. Now you pay the higher rate for 15m3 per month (therefore, 30m3 charged at the higher rate for the first 2 months). Now you are entitled to use 75m3 over 3 months without being charged the higher rate. This would mean that I used 84m3 over 3 months and should only be charged for 9m3 over the 3 month limit. Instead I was charged for 30m3, 21m3 over what I should have been for the 3 month period.
Now this does not amount to much money for 1 consumer (about $20.00 in 9 months), but imagine the whole city. We did contact the local authorities and they stated that you can phone in your meter reading every month vice them giving you an estimate.
Everyone paying for any commodity where there is a two tiere charging system, check your bills!!!
We were previously paying the water and sewage on our yearly tax bill however the city now charges it in a monthly bill.The City has levied a 2 tiere method of payment to consumers, if you use over 25m3 per month(the limit set for a family of 4). So......they read the meter every 3 months, meaning that 2 months are estimated. The 2 estimates are always showing a high m3 amount of water used while the third month, the actual reading shows a low m3 used.
If you pay in this method......say the estimates show you used 40m3 per month for your first 2 bills (because of estimated readings) and then the 3rd bill (actual reading) shows you used 4m3. Over the 3 month period you have used 83m3 of water. Because you pay monthly for your water, the 2 estimated bills show you using 40m3 per month for the first two months. Now you pay the higher rate for 15m3 per month (therefore, 30m3 charged at the higher rate for the first 2 months). Now you are entitled to use 75m3 over 3 months without being charged the higher rate. This would mean that I used 84m3 over 3 months and should only be charged for 9m3 over the 3 month limit. Instead I was charged for 30m3, 21m3 over what I should have been for the 3 month period.
Now this does not amount to much money for 1 consumer (about $20.00 in 9 months), but imagine the whole city. We did contact the local authorities and they stated that you can phone in your meter reading every month vice them giving you an estimate.
Everyone paying for any commodity where there is a two tiere charging system, check your bills!!!
