Citizens may not afford city improvements

Late in 2010, it was announced that city utilities would be raised $16 a month ($17 after the tax was added) to cover the costs of borrowing due to a city redo of the sewer lagoons.

I asked the members of the council two questions: did the council members think there may be citizens who would find it difficult to pay the extra $16 a month, and did the city council members think the increase of $16 per month would be tough on local businesses, especially Main Avenue businesses, who would also have to pay the higher city utilities but may also face less business due to city citizens having $16 per month less disposable income to spend on family matters. The answer was the same to both questions: I don’t know, we need the money.

In November 2011, during a discussion of the proposed 2012 budget, there was a budget entry titled Penalty Fees. The amount of penalty fees for 2011 were said to be $6,000 and the penalty fees were expected to be $7,000 in 2012.

I asked if these numbers could be true and was told that they were and the penalty fees for late payments of city utilities were growing.

The actual late fees collected by the city are significantly higher than the proposed budget documents reported. They are also much higher than members of city government claimed in the same public meeting. In 2010, the city actually collected $6,613.65 in late fees. What actually happened to late fees in 2011? The city collected $8,207.32 in late fees!

In the near future, the city council intends to explain to the citizens that the city council will borrow some $6 million to address neglected infrastructure issues.

The existence of late fees is an indicator of difficult times for a number of city citizens and ought to be a warning to city council. The new loans are likely to make matters much worse. When I voiced this concern at city hall, a city employee told me the late fees are an indication that some citizens have priority problems.

We are told that the water and sewer infrastructure needs are so urgent that the mayor and individual city council members have no choice but to borrow the money and make these repairs. Is there a limit to what the citizens can pay?

Barry Boyer, Ritzville