The state Senate has voted to give city seniors the opportunity not to get soaked by water bills.
Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) this week indicated that he voted with his colleagues to provide Big Apple citizens 65 years of age and older with a 10-percent break on their water bills.
In April, Addabbo submitted written testimony to the city Water Board in opposition to the 3.24 percent rate increase that was then being sought.
“Over the 12 years of the previous New York City administration, water bills rose by a whopping 166 percent and presented a heavy burden for many senior citizens on fixed incomes and other individuals and families struggling to balance their household budgets,” Addabbo said. “Another water bill increase, albeit less than 3 percent, is set to go into effect in July, and I am concerned about the cumulative impact of these rate hikes on those senior citizens who can least afford them and who have contributed so much to our city and state throughout the years.”
Additionally, Addabbo has suggested to the board that the city pay special attention to making
repairs and improvements in flood-prone areas of his district like Lindenwood, which was doubly devastated by area flooding after being hard hit by Superstorm Sandy.
The legislation has passed the Senate and is now under review by the Assembly Committee on Cities, Addabbo said.
michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
