Consume Less, Pay More (Part 2)

Atlanta is joining Charlotte (prior post here) in wanting to charge its residents more for water usage. The problem? According to this article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the city successfully encouraged residents to conserve water during recent drought conditions; however, the fall in consumption has seriously reduced revenue to the water department. So, the city wants to raise rates to make up for the lost revenue.

"The problem is you want people to conserve," said Janet Ward, spokeswoman for the Department of Watershed Management. "It's the right thing to do. But ... operating budgets don't change."

I wonder how residents will respond to the next call to conserve? Remember: fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.