Utility Customers Getting a Bad Deal

This letter was a comment sent to us by a Polk County Resident who wishes to remain anonymous.

Subject: Utility Customers Getting a Bad Deal

 

The notice for the final budget meeting for Polk City said that comments will be allowed by Polk City taxpaying residents only.  Of course, only Polk City residents are allowed to vote for the elected officials of Polk City. The utility customers who live outside the city have no voice in the operation of the utilities since the utilities are currently owned and controlled by the city.

To quote a Ledger article from September 15th, which appears to be a quote from Trudy Block, "The loss of the Mount Olive plant would mean the loss of 1,165 water customers and 887 sewer customers, which would reduce the city's income."  Apparently Polk City wants the utility customers to help pay Polk City obligations.  Some of those obligations were utility expenses, others have nothing to do with the utilities.  Why should the utilities customers help pay for anything except utility expenses?  Why should only Polk City

residents have a say in the operation of the utilities?

To add to this inequity, utility customers who are not Polk City residents are to be charged 25% more for their utilities than the residents. 

The water and sewage operations need to be completely separate from Polk City government.  Turning the ownership and operation of these utilities over to Polk County seems to be the best way to accomplish this.  All utility customers will then have an equal voice in the operation of the utility.

If the County were to take ownership of the utilities, all expenses and income generated by the utilities would belong to the County.  Why would Polk City object to this unless they are planning for utility income to exceed the expenses, and they plan to use the difference to pay for the operation of Polk City?

The next step should be to un-incorporate the City to do away with the cost and incompetent management by this government unit.  It appears to be a needless level of bureaucracy which the tax payers cannot afford.

Signed,

Anonymous