http://66.225.205.104/LM20100607a.mp3
Charlotte City council members still have a few matters to settle before they finalize a budget this afternoon. One sticking point is whether the city should donate money to keep more libraries open. That's usually Mecklenburg County's responsibility. Then tonight, the council will return to the issue of high water bills that have caused public outcry. Since March a volunteer advisory group created by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities Department has been reviewing recommendations made by another advisory group from Cornelius. Residents there did their own investigation into water bills that began spiking late last summer and concluded the city's rate structure is largely to blame. People who use a lot of water are subsidizing those who use less. CMUD's advisory group says the rate structure deserves scrutiny. "We were, I guess, in agreement or not in dispute with what the task force had said," says David Jarrett, the chair of CMUD's advisory group. "We thought it would be more prudent to let the total examination of the rate methodology be studied further." CMUD plans to conduct that study of its rate structure later this year. The utility established the four-tier system to encourage people to conserve water. Critics say the top tier is set too high.