[redwitch]

Originally Posted by TheVillageChicken

Most of them, mine included, have a nine volt battery to keep the settings alive.

Newer Hunters no longer have batteries.

[jimlocke]

My use is "up" over $100 and the house was unoccupied for a week. No leaks to be found. Welcome to The Villages.

[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by rubicon

mixsonci: Every suggestion preceding this post was on point. However, I am probably the only resident who believes we are being overcharged for water.
The water bill is such that there is a base charge for water and irrigation. On top of that is a three tier rating system not found in other water districts in florida. There are other fixed fees in this bill that make no sense

If the water district believes that people who use more water should pay more that is fine. However then why do they still charge a base fee?

I went two months not using my irrigation with no leaks as verified by Jim B and yet had appreciable charges each month, Just like cable companies, telephone companies and the like this utility has a monopoly and it is milking it for everything it is worth. the problem is they can and they can because no one around here complains. And no one complains because if they did residents would complain about their complaining

No, you are not the only one who thinks we are being overcharged. I have lived in more places than I have fingers and I have never had a water bill where I've had two separate water meters and the cost is different for inside and outside.

The developer is a very shrewd business man. He values his pocket more than he cares about you or me. He either has his hand in everything or simply owns the business outright. This is apparent when you think about the water system, the trash, electric, gas, recycling, etc. In a normal homeowners' assn. the residents own the amenities. Not here. Businesses here have gone out of business because the costs are so high: rent, utilities, a percentage of receipts, etc. A doctor here told me he has to pay for parking spaces (Morse owns the property) over and beyond what he pays for his office. Doesn't it strike you as strange that Brownwood still has so many unoccupied store fronts? Think $$$ in terms of costs to the businessman.

Why has no one complained about our trash. We have to buy clear plastic bags for his recycling, from which he makes money??? In addition, it's really an oxymoron. We have to put our recyclables in plastic bags that we buy??? Talk about stupid things. That's 50,000 homes X who knows how many plastic bags every week. That is scary! We are adding to the problem by using more plastic. Why don't we have recycling bins and trash cans like the ones Waste Management supplies to their residents? I guess it's because it costs too much money to supply them.

There are many great things about this community. But there also ain't no free lunch!

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Bonanza

No, you are not the only one who thinks we are being overcharged. I have lived in more places than I have fingers and I have never had a water bill where I've had two separate water meters and the cost is different for inside and outside.

The developer is a very shrewd business man. He values his pocket more than he cares about you or me. He either has his hand in everything or simply owns the business outright. This is apparent when you think about the water system, the trash, electric, gas, recycling, etc. In a normal homeowners' assn. the residents own the amenities. Not here. Businesses here have gone out of business because the costs are so high: rent, utilities, a percentage of receipts, etc. A doctor here told me he has to pay for parking spaces (Morse owns the property) over and beyond what he pays for his office. Doesn't it strike you as strange that Brownwood still has so many unoccupied store fronts? Think $$$ in terms of costs to the businessman.

Why has no one complained about our trash. We have to buy clear plastic bags for his recycling, from which he makes money??? In addition, it's really an oxymoron. We have to put our recyclables in plastic bags that we buy??? Talk about stupid things. That's 50,000 homes X who knows how many plastic bags every week. That is scary! We are adding to the problem by using more plastic. Why don't we have recycling bins and trash cans like the ones Waste Management supplies to their residents? I guess it's because it costs too much money to supply them.

There are many great things about this community. But there also ain't no free lunch!

The water cost is so much more where I came from in West Chester, Ohio.

The trash here is picked up twice as often as where we have lived before.
I don't like trash cans. Plastic makes more sense because of the heat and the smell here, both in the garage and on the driveway. Sometimes it isn't perfect environmentally, but it works better.

A for profit business operates for profit. The doctor operates for profit. He could choose a less expensive place to run his business, but he chose to locate in a high traffic area. His choice.

It took just as long for business to come to the other squares. He could fill the slots quicker if he lowered the price. If you owned the squares would you fill them right away or wait?

Businesses here could choose where they located. They knew the price of rent ahead of time. They may have gone out of business because of poor planning, of being unused to the seasonal flow, or in some cases because the national chain went under or was going under. (For example Friday's, and The women's store I can't think of it's name in Sumter Landing)

A percentage of receipts is done all across the country in high traffic business areas. Everywhere. If you own a business it is a choice where you rent.

North of 466, they have just one water meter. South of 466 they use retention ponds for watering outside of the home. Some think that is a good plan and some do not. It is still cheaper than what Hamilton, Ohio charges. So I don't complain.

That pesky Gary Morse. If only I knew him. I think he is nice. but I could be wrong. I am glad he built The Villages. I wish every municipality in the country was run as well. I am a fan. Yes I am.

[tommy steam]

Just for your information. As you know sprinkler water can be expensive . It might be a good idea to have a company who maintains your system on a regular basis. One company that I see that advertise in the Sun , is Massey the bug company. They have a sprinkle division.

[DonH57]

I may have posted earlier to test your rain sensor. I replaced mine during the spring. My water use has stayed in check.

[drdodge]

more people more flushes ,more showers. more water useage, dont forget you pay for water that goes down the sewer

[mtdjed]

And here we go again!!!!!

[buggyone]

I just received my VCDD bill yesterday. The actual bill is quite small. I am north of 466 so there is no separate indoor and outdoor water bill. The actual water/sewer usage was only $5.27. The base for water is $7 and the base for sewer is $13.50. Total of less than $26 for water and sewer. Yes, we are full time and (yes) take daily showers!

I have not had my sprinklers on due to the rain and my lawn is green and growing!

$18 for trash pickup for 8 times per month is cheap, too.

Add in the amenity fee and it is not too bad whatsoever.

How much cheaper can you imagine?

[drdodge]

the sewer charge for water for the first10000 gals is 2dollar sand 7 cents per gal and 3.44 fper gallon water over that amount, read your bill correctly

[buggyone]

Originally Posted by drdodge

the sewer charge for water for the first10000 gals is 2dollar sand 7 cents per gal and 3.44 fper gallon water over that amount, read your bill correctly

Me?

[perrjojo]

I find the water here quite inexpensive. Perhaps that is because I have previously lived in drought prone areas where water is scarce. There is that old saying....Supply and demand. As far as using plastic bags vs trash bins, that's ok with me because with our small garages I would have not a place for large cans or bins. I guess it's all in what we are accustomed to.

[PaPaLarry]

Originally Posted by Bonanza

No, you are not the only one who thinks we are being overcharged. I have lived in more places than I have fingers and I have never had a water bill where I've had two separate water meters and the cost is different for inside and outside.

The developer is a very shrewd business man. He values his pocket more than he cares about you or me. He either has his hand in everything or simply owns the business outright. This is apparent when you think about the water system, the trash, electric, gas, recycling, etc. In a normal homeowners' assn. the residents own the amenities. Not here. Businesses here have gone out of business because the costs are so high: rent, utilities, a percentage of receipts, etc. A doctor here told me he has to pay for parking spaces (Morse owns the property) over and beyond what he pays for his office. Doesn't it strike you as strange that Brownwood still has so many unoccupied store fronts? Think $$$ in terms of costs to the businessman.

Why has no one complained about our trash. We have to buy clear plastic bags for his recycling, from which he makes money??? In addition, it's really an oxymoron. We have to put our recyclables in plastic bags that we buy??? Talk about stupid things. That's 50,000 homes X who knows how many plastic bags every week. That is scary! We are adding to the problem by using more plastic. Why don't we have recycling bins and trash cans like the ones Waste Management supplies to their residents? I guess it's because it costs too much money to supply them.

There are many great things about this community. But there also ain't no free lunch!

I don't mind the plastic bags. It's quicker and easy to carry out 4 bags at once and put by curb side. If we had to have trash cans, I can just picture the amount of trash cans rolling around the neighborhood, if a quick storm came up. The sight of the empties in the street would really look unpleasant. And, how about if your can blew into neighbors yard and breaks their window??? I think I would rather stay with the bags!!!

[mrsanborn]

Originally Posted by drdodge

the sewer charge for water for the first10000 gals is 2dollar sand 7 cents per gal and 3.44 fper gallon water over that amount, read your bill correctly

Here in middle villages, the sewer charge for the first 10k is $4.33/thousand and base is $12.07

[pivo]

Check your sprinklers, my bill almost tripled the cause was 3
water sprinklers were leaking