Rate hikes loom as water utility expenses balloon, Queens mayor says
Residents in Liverpool and parts of Brooklyn should brace for water rate hikes but not right away, Queens Mayor Darlene Norman said Tuesday.
Regional council got a better picture on Tuesday of the budget impact of the boil water advisory for Queens water utility customers from Aug. 9 to Oct. 5 last year.
The municipality had already budgeted last spring for a loss of $173,700 for the water utility. The treatment station was struck by lightning on Aug. 9. Residents were under a boil water order for eight weeks.
Joanne Veinotte, director of corporate services for the Region of Queens, told councillors that as of Dec. 31, water utility losses amounted to an extra $252,655 in the third quarter to Dec. 31, or about $426,355 over budget so far.