Some 700 Porters Neck households will soon be annexed by the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority. On Wednesday, the CFPUA held two meetings at the Porter Neck Clubhouse so residents could learn more about the expansion project. Residents were anything but receptive to the Authority’s takeover of their water supply, many leaving the meeting irate regarding the coming rate increases.Porter Neck residents are currently supplied with water by the Porters Neck Company (PNC) at a rate of $1.25 per 1000 gallons. Based on the PNC’s rate schedule, if a household used 6000 their bill would be $7.50. Those 6000 gallons of water from the CFPUA will now cost residents $ 35.21, an increase of nearly 500% over current rates.
Porter Neck residents will suffer the same fate as many other New Hanover County families have before them. One day they are purchasing water from privately owned water utility. (Keep in mind, these private water utilities were not giving the water away, they were selling it at a profit. ) The next day, the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority takes over; rates go through the roof, and continue to climb. The 500% increase Porters Neck residents will see is just the beginning of the increases in their water costs.
The Authority’s tiered rate scheme only compounds the rate increase problem. Many residents will find the water that formerly cost them $1.25 per thousand gallons will now cost $ 4.50 per thousand gallons under the CFPUA’s tiered rate scheme.
Homeowners that attended the meeting felt helpless stating there was no one that represented them on the CFPUA board. “This is a textbook case of taxation without representation,” one resident said. He was right on target. While the CFPUA has many of the same powers as a city council or county commission, CFPUA board members are appointed rather than elected, leaving citizens with no recourse if they are not satisfied with the actions or performance of the board.
The bitter taste left in the mouths of Porters Neck residents will be the plight of other families as the CFPUA continues to raise rates and annex customers to expand its domain. We’ll have more on the unrestricted powers of the CFPUA in an upcoming article
lets follow the money,,,backwards to previous city council and county commission members and ask who and how and to what degree were each of them rewarded for selling out to the highest bidder . This isn't a new way of stealing from local tax payers, but rather a continueing of business as usual for our local and reginal elected . want to lose my vote next time around just be an incumbent or should i say an incumberance. they want go away by themselves, we have to send them away the same way we sent caster away
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