City Council President BJ Watts & City Council members:
I appreciate the ordinance that got passed recently regarding transparency. However, I have a hard time agreeing that anything regarding City Budget is transparent at all as long as the budget hearings are not televised. Since we started televising public meetings, County Council has always televised all their budget hearings and City Council never has televised one of their budget hearings. It is past time that we find ways to schedule the correct room and televise the meetings. If the cost is the issue, don’t televise something else, but all the budget hearings need to be televised.
Regarding sewer rate increase that will be discussed Monday night:
In recent weeks, County Commissioners had a hearing on Bohanan Estates Barrett Law regarding obtaining city sewers. Basically the residents agreed a couple of years ago for public sewers. It finally has progressed to time to bid the project. The cost for this could run as high as $9,000 per lot plus tap-in fee plus 30-35% surcharge on sewer which will only continue to increase as we continue to address CSO issues. I am not sure where this project is now because it came out in public testimony that the initial cost for Barrett law was low-balled and the residents are now not so sure they want it or can swing it at this price. One sucker even has a double lot so I think they get to pay double.
If it actually does cost them 9,000-10,000 per lot, you could buy a car for that and that would pay for how much college….. at least some. Unreal amount for privilege of having city sewer plus they get the 30-35% surcharge each and every month thereafter.
I agree that county residents get a break on a lot of things in this community and I am more than willing to address that with reorganization. I don’t think we should have to wait for reorganization to address the sewer issue.
I would like to see real justification for the 30-35% surcharge. I would like the percentage to be reduced as we continue to address the never-ending CSO issues.
Cathy Edrington
