New Year Brings New Fees In Chicago
Updated 01/01/13 - 11:04 a.m.
(CBS) -- Ringing in the New Year in Chicago also means ringing up all the things that will cost you more.
Simple things like flushing that toilet or taking that shower are going to cost you more money.
Water rates for property owners in the city and for suburbs that buy city water are jumping 15 percent Jan. 1.
Parking at metered spots on the street will cost you more, too. In the Loop, the $5.75 an hour you used to pay increases 75 cents to $6.50 an hour. Rates outside the Loop are rising as well.
While drivers can try to avoid the higher street parking by hunting for free parking spots, they can't avoid paying the extra $2 this year to renew their license plate stickers. A new state law means license plate stickers now cost $101.
"I'm fine paying more money, if I knew that our money was being well spent," said Ray George.
David Gillespie said, "What else can you really do? Move?"
The license plate fee is expected to generate $32 million a year to help pay for state parks and roads.
Meanwhile, the higher cost of cigarettes will burn a hole in smokers' budgets all over Cook County. A $1-per-pack increase will take effect in March.
But businesses say not all the changes will blow your pocket change.
The county sales tax will roll back a quarter-cent on Jan. 1.
