A Statement from Borough President Vito Fossella on the City’s Proposed 6% Increase to Water Rates
Editor’s note: As some of our readers may know, the budget negotiations in Albany this week resulted in a successful approval of the new budget. There were many wins, including for the environment (we will be covering this aspect next week in a conversation with the Nature Conservancy), but a water bill increase would be a lose for New Yorkers. Everyone needs to use water, and starting several decades ago, New York City and other municipalities started charging people for this essential and unavoidable product. It does cost money for the City to purify and transport the water to the island and surrounding boroughs from Upstate New York, but in this time of heightened inflation and increasing costs, yet another financial burden for Staten Islanders to shoulder is something that the borough president and other politicians are strongly opposed to. Readers may remember our coverage of the new ‘tax on the rich’ that applies only to New York non-residents that own property over a certain threshold, specifically $1 million. Such individuals are benefitting from owning such properties (whether through generating rent or having a vacation home), but they contribute nothing to the local NYC or NYS economy. After this budget approval, such people will be forced to contribute to the economy with a small tax on the value of the home each year. According to CNBC: “Properties worth between $1 million and $3 million will face a 4% annual tax; properties valued at $3 million to $5 million will face a 5.25% tax; and those above $5 million will face a 6.5% tax [on the total assessed value of the property]”
Staten Island, NY – Borough President Vito Fossella issued the following statement regarding the proposal of the City to increase water rates by 6%:
“The City wants to continue to punish residents and businesses by raising water rates by 6%. We should feel “lucky,” because some wanted a 12% increase.
It’s just shocking, but not surprising, that the City keeps going back to good, hardworking people for more and more taxes and fees. It’s like trying to get water from a stone.
We are truly taxed enough already. In fact, everyday New Yorkers suffer some of the highest taxes in the nation.
Water is an essential service that every New Yorker uses – it cuts across all communities, and at all income levels.
Hardworking taxpayers continue to get tapped and foot the bill for so many failed programs. It’s just another form of water torture.”
See below for an image that shows where the water comes from for Staten Island and all of New York City. The Catskill/Delaware Watersheds and the Croton Watershed supply the water for the city, which is purified and has chemicals added (to kill bacteria and other microorganisms) and is then piped down to us through a series of aqueducts and tunnels, into reservoirs and rivers, and finally arriving in the City. The same water also supplies Upstate New York, albeit at a much lower cost and less of a trip:
NYC’s Reservoir System. Image Credit – NYC DEP
Banner Image: Central Park – Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. Image Credit –
Daniel Torres Bonatto, licensed by CC
About The Author
The Office of the Borough President has a responsibility to advocate for the entire Borough of Staten Island and all its residents, and represents the Borough's interests within City government.
The Borough President communicates directly with the Mayor and the City Council to emphasize Staten Island’s budget priorities.
In addition, the Borough President is responsible for reviewing major land use decisions and proposing sites for city facilities within the Borough.
As the chair of the Borough Board, the Borough President leads Staten Island’s City Council delegation and Community Board chairs in the process of reviewing and approving the transfer of public properties to private use. The Borough President’s Office houses the Borough's Topographical Bureau, which maintains the borough’s official maps and assigns street addresses.
The Borough President monitors the delivery of city services on Staten Island, and acts as a liaison between residents and city agencies when problems arise to devise solutions. The Borough President is also responsible for appointing one member to the Panel for Educational Policy and one member to the City Planning Commission, as well as some 150 members to Staten Island’s three community boards.
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