In 2024, only large water consumers in Vila Nova de Famalicão will pay more for their water. As was the case this year, Famalicão City Council has chosen not to reflect the 3.3 per cent increase that the service provider will impose on the vast majority of families in the municipality next year.
The tariffs for water supply, sanitation and waste treatment for 2024 were approved on Thursday 21 December at the last meeting of the municipal executive for the year.
The municipality will once again bear the increases imposed by Águas do Norte, with the exception of the 3rd and 4th tiers of variable tariffs.
"These are levels that represent high water consumption, which means that a large part of domestic consumers will not feel the increase in the price of the service," explains Environment Councillor Hélder Pereira, recalling that with the last two years and the next, the municipality will forgo collecting around 10 million euros.
In 2024, the people of Famalicense will only see their environmental bills updated at the rate of inflation for wastewater sanitation tariffs, as well as a 21 per cent review of waste collection and treatment tariffs due to the increase imposed by the service provider, but also due to EU directives that require part of the costs to be passed on to the consumer for the purposes of applying for European funds.
The Famalicão councillor recalls that even with this update, which also includes "the unaffordable amount" of the Waste Management Fee payable to the government, which between 2021 and 2023 increased by almost 200 per cent, Famalicão remains on the list of municipalities in the region with the lowest tariffs, since these increases are not directly and proportionally reflected in the final amount of the environmental bill for Famalicenses.
Here's a practical example. A family of four with a family tariff and an average monthly consumption of 10 cubic metres will go from having a bill of 28.94 euros to 30.98 euros in 2024, i.e. an increase of around 6%.
It should also be noted that, according to the executive's proposal, the social tariff would not be updated in 2024. By applying this social measure, the municipality has foregone receiving close to 250,000 euros between 2021 and 2023.
