Regarding your news in the Dec. 4 Chinook Observer that the water and utilities are going to increase 9 percent in Long Beach: This is outrageous!

Right now, the cost of water and sewer services in this city are already among the highest. The flat fee is absurd. If you live or not in the building you own or rent, the amount is the same every month. All the people who have a business in the city have to pay the water bill if the business is open or not. Of course the business takes this out on the consumers (many of them tourists) when the summer season opens. This is why it is impossible to get people to come to town more often — it’s due of horrendous amount the money they have to pay for staying. Now we can understand why businesses in this town have so much trouble.

This is a nice town for retirees but with a fixed income it is pretty hard to live here. With the amount money collected every month from every single resident (using the water or not), it is surprising the City of Long Beach hasn’t be able to change or fix problems with maintenance or replace what is broken.

MARIA BONESTEEL

Long Beach