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Dumber than a sack of hammers |
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Written by Windsor Shadow
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Saturday, 30 January 2010 07:09 |
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The phrase pops to mind whenever the Windsor Utiliities Commission and it's Chairman are mentioned. I couldn't have picked a better time to get back into the blogging swing of things. I'm going to be putting together some comprehensive blogs on this issue. In the meantime, a few things to consider:
"WUC chairman Coun. Ken Lewenza Jr. said that even when the 86 per cent increase was approved it was indicated at that time the utility was still $6 short on the average homeowner's bill for what was needed to support infrastructure efforts.
He said the utility needs $25 million per year to do the necessary capital improvements over the next 30 years according to its consultant Earth Tech Watson."
After reading that quote the question I have is where has the Windsor Utilities Commission been for the last 3 years? If they knew then that they still had a significant shortfall, why were they not consulting with the community?
Another WUC Commissioner, City Councillor Ron Jones:
WUC commissioner Coun. Ron Jones acknowledged that anger still lingers from the hefty rate hike a couple of years ago.
"The infrastructure has to be replaced, but the question is does it have to be right now?" he said.
"Public consultation is vital. The old premise of 'pay me now or pay me later' is going to come into play, so this is a decision that has to be vetted by the ratepayer."
I agree with Councillor Jones, but once again, where was this decsion and vetting since the last rate increase? Why has the WUC been sitting on their hands? Could it be because it was politically unpalatable for another increase in 2008 and 2009 after the whopping 86% increase in 2007?
Notice the highlighted name above - Earth Tech Watson. Here's their report from 2007. Make sure you read Chapter 8, Analysis of Water Rates and Policy Matters. Pay particular attention to the charts on page 8-2, labelled as Option 1 - Low Debt and Option 2 - High Debt.
People should also be asking their Councillors questions about the ongoing development charges study and what effect they have on utilities, present and future.
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