We have to wonder what is actually happening at city hall. Previously our water rates invoices included suggestions how to use less water. Now they need to charge us more because we have been conserving too much water. The decline in consumption of water just did not happen over night, the short fall in the water account grew to $3 million, before the matter came to our notice. The first reaction from our elected officials was to do as they have done in the past: just increase the charges; this is exactly what they tried to do. At the moment this matter is in limbo, while they decided how they intend to invoice us. The revenue derived from water has not remained stagnant, February 2003 my consumption rate per unit was 0.595555, February 2012, and my rate is now 1.37391304: an increase of 130%, per unit, in August 2003 they added an annual base rate $22.22.
It's a bit over the top for the council to imply, that we have caused this problem, because each household has been consuming less water annually. Have they consider the notion that, the problem may lie with the management of this utility, even with an average annual increase of 14.5% per unit, over the last 9 years, they still have manage to run up a deficit.

Brian Porter, Welcome Bay.