Baltimore Spending Board Delays Water Bill Hike Decision

Baltimore’s spending board will decide whether to allow the Department of Public Works to increase residents water and sewer bills by 15 percent next week.

The board decided to delay the decision after angry residents criticized the proposal during a Board of Estimates hearing on Wednesday, according to The Baltimore Sun.

The city has approved hikes the previous six years—9 percent increases the previous two—and a spokesman told Patch in 2011 that residents should anticipate annual hikes for the foreseeable future.

Officials have argued that the increases have been necessary to help pay for upgrades to the city’s infrastructure as required through a consent decree with the Environmental Protection Agency.

Adding to residents' complaints about previous increases, was the revelation in 2012 of inaccurate water bills that in some cases led to the tax sale of homes when they went unpaid.

There are roughly 400,000 water meters in the city, Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties.

Do you believe the rate increase is necessary to pay for infrastructure improvements? Share your thoughts in the comments.