YORKTOWN, N.Y. —Yorktown residents are likely to face higher water rates if a proposal from the water department is approved.
Come June, the town’s water department is proposing that the water rate will increase from $7.15 to $7.90 per 1,000 gallons—about a 10.5 percent increase. A public hearing on the water rate change will be held in February.
“For the minimum usage of 9,000 gallons, this translates to an increase from $64.35 to $71.10 per billing cycle,” a Jan. 13 release from the town said.
The Water Department bills Yorktown customers three times a year, every four months.
The water rate increase was discussed at the Jan. 7 Town Board meeting, along with a proposed program to modernize the town’s water meters.
“These proposed increases are because operational costs have increased as well,” Water Superintendent Paul Vasillo told Yorktown News after the meeting.
The town purchases its water from Northern Westchester Joint Water Works, which buys it from New York City. Vasillo said that NWJWW increased its rates to the water department by 4 to 5 percent.
The higher water fee isn’t the only cost increase on the horizon. The town is expected to implement a $5 meter rental fee per bill cycle, which Supervisor Ed Lachterman told Yorktown News on Jan. 8 is “like that on your cable box,” adding that it is “just to pay for the equipment, the upkeeping equipment—all the stuff that is needed to run it.”
A Jan. 13 press release from the town said that water officials will also introduce a 20-cent capital project charge per thousand gallons used, which will add $3 to the water bill for the average family of four—based on estimates of using 15,000 gallons per billing cycle. The release said the additional revenues will be reinvested in improving and safeguarding Yorktown’s water system.
Lachterman said the money “would go towards the water infrastructure, like all the pipes that the water flows through, the tanks that we store water in.”
Town code and water meters
In addition to the hike in water rates and the discussion of updating meters, at the meeting, Vasillo and Water Dept. colleague James Waterhouse presented plans for water meter testing for residential and commercial properties. They proposed sending out series of notifications regarding non-compliance with residential water meter accuracy tests:
First notice: Residents have 15 days to schedule an appointment for the test.
Second notice: If no appointment is made, a $25 surcharge will be added.
Third notice: Proposing a $100 surcharge if a resident refuses, with additional surcharges added on water bill.
Vasillo later explained to Yorktown News that “residents who do not respond to the letter will incur a noncompliance surcharge on their water bill,” but added that the water department does “not have a final approval on the fees for the non-compliance,” calling it “separate” and unrelated to water rates.
During the Jan. 7 meeting, Vasillo said the desired accuracy on a residential meter is between 98 and 101 percent.
“I’d be willing to bet that a good portion of these do not meet that [criteria],” Vasillo said.
Lachterman noted that some residents still have mechanical meters, explaining that they have not been changed for “various reasons.” For those who prefer to keep their mechanical meters, the town will test them for accuracy.
“If it is accurate, they can keep that meter,” Lachterman said. “If the meter is inaccurate, they will have the option of us supplying them with a brand-new electronic meter, or if they prefer the mechanical meter, they could go to a new mechanical meter with an electronic reader head.”
Both options, Lachterman added, would need to be tested annually to ensure accuracy, at the resident’s expense.
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