To the Editor:
Attention all homeowners and renters in the city of Snohomish.
Brace yourselves. Your water bill will more than triple (342%) by 2029. Your sewer bill will increase 146% by 2029. (Calculate the figures on pages 37 and 38 of the Sept. 17th Snohomish City Council meeting agenda packet.)
This is the result of the City Council approving on September 17th an ordinance establishing utility rates for 2025 to 2029.
So if your water bill now is $200, it will increase to $692 by the year 2029. The council claims the city needs to catch-up on deferred maintenance. However, two big factors are the millions of dollars in utility construction costs for its new civic campus at Third and Pine and the replacement of a water transmission line serving 75 homes in the Machias area, costing an estimated $80 million. The City now buys its water from the City of Everett and the price is estimated to increase only 4% annually.
The mayor and three council members are up for re-election next year and utility rates will be a big issue.
Morgan Davis
Snohomish
