Water Comes From NYC Supply, Which Increased Rates
By Dan Murphy
A part of the Yonkers budget that is currently under review by the City Council is the water budget, which is a separate part of the city’s finances and has its own department, employees and capital costs. Yonkers purchases its water from New York City and this year, NYC has increased the rate it charges Yonkers to buy water.
Accordingly, Mayor Mike Spano, in his proposed budget, has increased water rates by 6.6 percent. The rate that NYC charges Yonkers for water is not negotiable, and any increase is normally passed on to the consumer, the homeowners and property owners in Yonkers.
Last year, Yonkers residents did not see an increase in their water rates, but two years ago, water meters were placed in every Yonkers residence. Before the meters were in place, the Yonkers Water Department gave residents estimated bills that did not accurately provide each different home in apartment buildings use of water.
With the new meters in place, residents are more aware of the water they use and the cost of their usage. The result is that the City of Yonkers is conserving water and using less.
Yonkers has a 150-year-old water system with antiquated pipelines that need repair. The city water department has been repairing and modifying some water lines, including water supply to the downtown and new development projects, with most of the costs paid for by developers.
The bulk of the costs of the water department are for water, with some costs for personnel and for debt service. The City Council and the mayor’s office are currently reviewing options for a capital bonding ordinance to pay for repairs to existing water lines and replacement, which would be separate from the proposed water budget and increase.
Even with the proposed 6.6 percent water rate increase, Yonkers residents will pay among the lowest rates for their water supply in Westchester, and have among the highest quality of water – winning the best water contest in Westchester on more than one occasion.
The complexity of supplying water to the 200,000-plus resident of the City of Hills is not easy, and involves pumping water into one of the three Yonkers water towers, and pumping water up the hills of Yonkers to customers. The cost of a water main break, or one of the large water pumps located throughout the city, would have to come out of the water department’s budget.
That budget currently has a fund balance, in case of a major water main break or interruption. The water budget is voted on with the city budget, but in a separate resolution.
City Council President Mike Khader said he will not support a water rate increase. “Since running for office, I’ve pledged not to raise our water rates. Current rates are high enough, and another increase would further burden homeowners. I think we should look elsewhere as we try to balance this budget,” said Khader.
