Residents of Ignacio now pay $63.05 a month for sewer, which is more than twice the state average cost. In 2010 and 2011, our rates were $45 a month. This is a 40 percent increase in just two years.

Don’t ask me why the town government handed these utilities over to the tribe or when, but it was one of the most ignorant things done to the people who live here. In a time of economic hardship for many people, it’s sad to see that the Southern Ute Tribe feels it can just keep raising their costs, keeping residents held hostage over their utility totalitarianism.

I hope the town government will try to start communicating and working more with the tribal government to hopefully keep these costs from continuing to rise more, or residents such as myself will be moving to Bayfield or Durango where I’ve already found rentals for the same price, yet utilities about 30 to 40 percent less.

Doug Price

Ignacio