I received my public utility bill for the month of July. The bill was almost 30% higher than the bill from previous months this year. My amount of water usage did NOT increase, yet there was $17.40 in additional fees called “stabilization fees” for water and sewage.
I called the public utilities office to ask for an explanation of the fees and found that Salt Lake City residents are being charged these fees because we did too good of a job conserving water. In other words, since Salt Lakers did not use enough water, the company didn’t make enough money, so they are using the stabilization fees to increase their profits. Why are we being punished for being good stewards of Utah’s resources? How un-American and counterintuitive is that?
I was told that the fees would be ongoing indefinitely. I am sure that they have a justification for these fees, but whatever their reasons are, they do not justify this profiteering. It is sickening and frustrating for those of us who think conservation is important not only for us but also for the future. I can’t express enough how angry, frustrated and disgusted I am by this unscrupulous profiteering.
Arthur Heredia
Salt Lake City, Utah