Kenneth Hanigan: With all this water, city of Modesto should trim its rates

A number of citizens showed up to the Modesto City Council meeting asking the city not to increase the water rates by close to 80 percent, but the increase was approved. Seniors who live in older parts of town have homes with bigger lots and the huge water rate increase means deciding what parts of our lawns – that we have cared for so many years – will be allowed to die.

The Catch 22 is that they increased the rates because we cut back on water use, as required by the city. Now that we have water again, please consider cutting back on these rate increases. I have cut my back yard in half and want to keep the rest, including the trees. Many neighbors are just letting everything die because the rates are so high and they are on fixed incomes, but make too much for the small discount being offered. As we head into another hot summer with reservoirs and rivers full, any and all help with high water bills is helpful.

This story was originally published March 9, 2017 at 3:37 PM with the headline "Kenneth Hanigan: With all this water, city of Modesto should trim its rates."