To the editor:

I read with interest the news article recently about the $99,000 owed to the Town of Tryon from residents that have not paid their water bill.

Does the Town of Tryon ever consider that maybe the water rates are too high for its citizens to afford usage?

The Town of Tryon water rates have risen 500 percent in the last two decades.

Tryon has the highest water rates in the state, yet the town manager and board keep raising the rates for customers both inside and outside Tryon.

We are a two-person household yet our water bill is more than $80 per month and we are careful with our usage and are not wasteful.

My neighbor who gets her water from Landrum pays about $8 per month.

A lady I work with lives in Hendersonville and her water bill is about $7 for two months. Does this strike anyone else as excessive?

Perhaps the town leaders would consider lowering rates rather than cutting people’s water off.

It has now gotten to the point where your residents cannot afford water.  Shame on you.

– Cathy Calure, Landrum