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Health & Fitness

City Needs to Turn Off the Valve on Higher Fees

Raise the rates for water if needed, but someone in City Hall had better figure out how to shut off the tax and fee valve.

According to the Baltimore City Council website, the Taxation, Finance and Development Committee will have an informational hearing regarding increases to water, sewer and miscellaneous fees on Thursday morning, at 10:30 a.m.

The Baltimore City Board of Estimates voted to hold hearings to increase water and sewer rates by 9% to pay for federally mandated improvements to reservoirs and pipes, and the Baltimore Sun reported in April.

City Hall, we have a problem.

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As reported, this would be the third straight year of rate increases, with more to follow.
 
The problem is that city residents are already being nickel and dimed out of town.
 
Most people would probably agree that the city needs to replace the water pipes, which are very old and frequently break, and they probably would not be disagreeable to a rate increase to pay for it.

But the increases seem to keep coming with no end in sight.  And once the rates go up, it is very likely they will not come back down once the new pipes are installed — whenever that will be.
 
On top of increased rates for water, city residents pay extra taxes on cable television, cellphones, bottles of soda, and more, in addition to paying the highest property tax rate in the state.

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What are the tax dollars paying for, exactly?

The privilege to live in or near dangerous communities?

The luxury of being rustled from a deep sleep by Fox Trot (the police helicopter) circling overhead, looking for yet another suspect in yet another brutal crime?
 
The pleasure of sitting on front steps and watching the rats entertain us with their hilarious antics?
 
Baltimore has very little to show for all the taxes and fees collected from residents.
 
Yes, Baltimore has a wonderful Inner Harbor and splendid parks.  But, if truth be told, the surrounding counties have some pretty nice attractions too.
 
Many of those who can afford to move out of Baltimore are not being held hostage by the Inner Harbor and parks. They are leaving, as the last U. S. Census clearly indicates.
 
So raise the rates for water and sewage if needed, but someone in City Hall had better figure out how to shut off the tax and fee valve or the next Census will certainly report back that more people have decided that the benefits of living in Baltimore City were not worth one more nickle or dime.

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