Dear Voters: At first glance, the election next week may appear to be unimportant, but when customers of the Cedar Key Water & Sewer District receive their next bill, they¹ll learn the election is important. In order to pay for a filtration system that will remove the carcinogenic trihalomethanes from our water, the water board needs to borrow $500,000. So the board is planning to increase our water bills by 36% placing a $5.00 surcharge on every customer¹s monthly bill. A portion of this news is positive because the filtration system should remove harmful disinfection byproducts from our drinking water. The part of the news which is disturbing is that because the water board failed to plan for financial emergencies, its customers are being forced to increase their payment for water by a large percentage. Few people will complain about a $5.00 a month increase if that increase will erase cancer causing pollutants from our water. But, if the surcharge increases to $30.00 or $40.00 each month, how will we feel? It¹s my opinion that without strong leadership on the water board, we could easily see water and sewer charges equal those of our southern neighbors in ranges of $75.00 to $85.00 each month. Last year, after years of ignoring the problems, the water board was forced to create its first Capital Improvement Plan. The plan identifies long overdue improvements to our water and sewerage treatment facilities totaling in excess of $3,000,000. The $5.00 surcharge will provide the funds for payment of the $500,000 loan needed to pay for the filtration system, but there¹s another $2,500,000 worth of projects which remain unfunded. On Tuesday, I¹m voting for Maurice Hendrix and Chris Reynolds for the Cedar Key Water & Sewer Board. Both men are concerned citizens with business backgrounds. If they¹re elected, I know I¹ll feel much better about the future of our water and sewer system. Neither Maurice nor Chris need to add to their present civic involvement. Already, they¹re deeply committed to the island¹s civic organizations. Thankfully, they¹ve taken an interest in the problems at the water board and are willing to help. Now, it¹s up to us to go to the polls next week and support them with our votes. Please do.
Sincerely,
Jeff Dwyer |
