Furious residents face staggering water bill hike as California city justifies move

Detailed summary

The proposal also includes additional increases of 11% in 2028, 10% in 2029, another 10% in 2030 and 7% in 2031.

Glendale residents are drowning in rising costs — and now city officials want to make their bills even higher.

The city is proposing a 53% increase in water rates, sparking outrage among residents already struggling with California’s soaring cost of living.

Glendale residents are facing a potentially massive water bill shock, with city officials proposing a rate hike that could leave some households paying dramatically more just to keep the taps running.

The proposed increase would boost water rates by an average of 53% in the first year, prompting an angry backlash at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, where more than 40 residents spoke out against the plan, according to NBC.

“I can’t pay you, my neighbor can’t pay you, you need to understand that,” one resident told councilmembers.

“It is phenomenally cost prohibitive creating undue financial burden on the customers,” another speaker said.

Longtime Glendale resident Kirsten Winter said her water bill could double because of the neighborhood where she lives.

“I live in a different zone than down here at the base of Glendale where my bill will be 100 percent higher in January,” Winter said.

Winter has been gathering signatures for a petition opposing the proposed increases, arguing residents were given too little time to organize after receiving notices in September.

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