KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Taking a long, hot shower is going to become more of a luxury. Water rates are going up in Kansas City, Missouri starting Tuesday, May 1st. Kansas Citians will see about a 14 percent increase. The water department’s director says it’s to fix some issues that have been plaguing the city for years.
For example, water mains in Kansas City were bursting at record rates this past winter, that means the city had to spend money fixing them. The water main issues also highlighted the need to update neighborhood water lines, called small mains. The city’s replacing many of those this year at a cost of $30 million.
Milagros Aurora Rodriguez Dickson isn’t happy about paying more, but she says, she really has no choice.
“It’s kinda bad, but especially for a fixed budget, income, but somehow, God willing, we’ll make it,” Dickson said.
The Kansas City, City Council approved this rate increase for infrastructure improvements and federally required improvements for sewer systems. The average customer will reportedly see an increase of about nine dollars per month. The full impact of the increase won’t be seen on water bills until about June.
