City must keep utility rates affordable

When I moved to Burbank almost 20 years ago, I was pleased to reside in a city that governed its own, including Water and Power. Gone were the days of gouging by DWP.

It seems that now the utility wants again to raise the rates. First, the rates were raised in order to pay for those smart meters that everyone had to have. Now the rates are going up to close a budget gap.

These rate increases are hard on people on a fixed income, on top of the rise of other costs such as gas, food and medical care, and will create more hardship all around. My income has been impacted by cuts and furloughs, causing a dramatic drop in earnings. This is just one more hand reaching into my increasingly bare pockets. Big oil, big government, and now the “little” guy, the city of Burbank, as well. Enough!

Residential rates must be kept affordable for people, especially with the hot summer months looming ahead.

Donna S. Kaminsky

Burbank