By: Diane Benjamin
See part 1 here: https://blnnews.com/2019/12/01/tari-and-water-part-1/
Below are the regular water etc bills for the house Tari lives in.
I didn’t receive the June 2019 bill in the FOIA, since the July bill shows a previous unpaid balance it wasn’t paid by the due date.
This time penalties are added, June was the same bill not paid by the Due Date in Part 1. It was due June 26th which was pre-flood.
The bill below covers when the water leak occurred, it shows close to 1500 gallons more than the July bill. 1500 gallons is equivalent to a 10′ x 10′ pool and 2 feet deep. The bill was $30 higher because of the leak, the additional charges applied to the water usage, storm water, sewer, and water reclamation.
Since I don’t have a water meter . . .
Isn’t the City replacing all of them to a version that is read remotely? Isn’t it unusual that water usage if either 748 gallons or 2244 gallons before and after the flood?
If you don’t live in Bloomington you have probably never seen a complete bill:
Tons of charges I completely avoid living in the middle of nowhere!
Previous Protection/Insurance charges were $1.05, Coverage must have been increased.
What really stands out to me is how much less Bloomington residents are charged on their “Water” Bill’s compared to Normal. Wow!
About Normal’s water. In the late seventy’s, Normal quietly worked a deal with a County Bank on property held in a Trust, west of Blm-Nrml, so they could drill test wells without telling anyone who was doing it or for what reason. Then when they had three or four good sites for wells, they bought just enough ground to drill and erect a small building for the pumps on each location. Then because they drilled way deeper than any private property owner close by, they did cause some of those private wells to go dry and then refused to help do anything to get those people a new well or water of any kind. One dairy farmer had just drilled a new well before all this came to pass and it was within, as the crow flies or water flows, a half mile. After a court fight and land owners organizing, Normal finally, although not willingly, did help with a few wells. Might be this also adds to country farm land owners and farmers attitude about not being open to Wind Farm complaints?
My guess is that Normal is tacking on more fees/charges to pay for stuff they should have been planning for years ago. Bloomington probably planned for it a while ago and has been charging over time or the residents will have a real shock once the amounts to upgrade/fix the system come do.
I have heard of them lowering the charges when people have documented leaks, but not giving waivers on past due fees. If one person gets it, it should be applied to all others.
Don’t forget to add the insurance fee from the water Dept. Ranges $1.05 to $12.40 and most people don’t what or why they are being charged, trash can sizes ( 3 sizes 3 different prices) what a ripe off!
Sent from my iPhone
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Why exactly is the water bill of Renner any of your business? Really have you nothing better to do with your life? He had a water leak, end of story. Get a life for Pete’s sake.
Much as I despise Renner, I am struggling with why Water Bills should be subject to a FOIA. Not in any way criticizing you for using the process to seek information, Diane, but can you explain the rationale for this being public information?
Equality
Again, why should anybody’s personal water bill be public record? You are basically purchasing a commodity, all-be-it from a government monopoly. Not much different than seeing someone’s grocery bill. Privacy matters.
We may have to “agree to disagree” on this one.
I appreciate you posting Renner’s water billing information – very interesting to see. Everyone (including city employees and the mayor) should be billed the same rates and fees as “the rest of us” I always feel like the monopoly (City Water Dept) charges the residents a ton of money and there is no recourse – “pay the amount we say or we will shut off your water” (Then we will deem your home uninhabitable due to no water service – LOL!)