Election Results
A total of 4461 ballots were returned out of 10,139 active registered voters – roughly 44%. 1525 voted YES and 2883 voted NO - roughly 35% to 65%. This is down from the 60% or 6008 votes cast for Newberg mayor in the 2010 general election. Get the full results, including District 1 votes, here.
To me this means that a significant proportion of voters are concerned that too much of their money is taken for spending programs they don’t want. It also means that not enough voters are paying attention to the spending plans of the Council. Are voters just apathetic?
Look at it another way. You’re sitting in a room with other voters. Those sitting to your left and to your right think you should pay for their wants.
The election outcome hasn’t altered the sources of spending pressure on our wallets. We have just lost one way of voicing our will. Hopefully, our Councilors will take note of our displeasure.
Additional Water Revenue Needed
At 7pm, Wednesday, November 9, I went to the Citizens rate Review Committee (CRRC) meeting. Two other Newbergers attended. They were deciding if they wanted to serve on the CRRC. The people who have complained bitterly about their $200 water bills were not in attendance.
Consultant Deb Galardi presented revenue increase scenarios for debt service coverage. Get the agenda packet with details here.
Subtract from Water Sales Revenue (about $4.5 million, constant though 2015/16) the Operating and Maintenance Costs ( $3.5 million now and $4 million in 2015.16) to get the funds available ($987,000 now and $435,000 in 2015/16)to pay principle and interest on debt (about $1.3 million). To maintain the contractually require 1.1 ratio, additional needed revenue grows from $400,000 now to $945,000 in 2015/16.
This presentation did not include increases for capital investment, nor did it suggest cost cutting strategies.
Factors Driving Costs
The City Manager mentioned ever tightening regulatory requirements that require upgrades, and increasing costs of public employee benefits. Seventy cents of each new revenue dollar is expected to go to employee costs and 30 cents to maintenance supplies such as new water pipes. (Some existing pipes are 100 years old).
The ever “unpopular” suggestion of reducing staff and using cheaper contract labor received only cursory attention, but doesn’t have to die.
The CRRC has no control over setting capital investment budget levels for upgrades required by the “green”-leaning EPA, State legislature, and DEQ. Question: When is our water “clean enough”? We still have to provide food, shelter, clothing etc. for our families. You can’t eat water that has the last part-per-billion of something removed, and you die a lot quicker from starvation and exposure to the weather.
However, the CRRC can refuse to endorse the rate increases and push back on the Budget Committee and the Council.
The final factor pushing cost is the Federal Reserve Bank and Congressional policy of inflating the money supply via debt financing of TARP and subsequent “stimulus” legislation.
We elected a new “conservative” House of representatives to control debt-financed spending, but all we get is more debt. Meet the new boss…same as the old boss.
Going Forward
We lost Measure 36-149, but we didn’t lose the war. Meet the new solution…same as the old solution: elect representatives at all levels of government that care about your individual rights and not collective “rights”.
The good news is that we have at least two representatives (appointed by Mayor Andrews) on the CRRC who are looking to cut costs rather that just raising new revenue. They are Ernie Amunson and Beth Keyser, and they are truly in “our corner”. They need your support.
The next CRRC meeting is November 30. See agenda here when it becomes available here
Water Bill Too High? Do Something!
Please, go to the meeting. Thank them personally. Or send email to them c/o City Manager. Find out for yourself why your water bill is $200 and will go higher through 2016 if you don’t say something. Mayor Andrews and City Manager Danicic are on the CRRC.
Public Comments are heard at the beginning of the meeting. You have no more than five minutes each, to tell them “my water is clean enough and I need a new winter coat” or if you must, “please raise my rates 25% over the next four years”. Or tell them “Public employee costs are too high and I’m not paying it anymore”.
YOU have ask the CRRC to push back on the DEQ. YOU have to ask State Representative Kim Thatcher and State Senator Larry George to push back on the DEQ. YOU have to ask our incoming House Representative to push back on the EPA. YOU have to ask Senators Merkely and Wyden to push back on the EPA and Presidential Executive Orders.
Otherwise, enjoy your new water bill…much higher than the old bill.
Yours in Liberty,
Hank Grum
