After Supervisor Spellman went on a long rant at the June 11, 2013 about the upset ratepayers who attended a Calaveras County Water District rate
increase meeting in Ebbetts Pass last night, the rest of the Board voted to stay out of the legal issues.
The issue about whether Calaveras County Water District has the right to allow every registered voter to vote for their CCWD Board members, but that for this rate increase protest, they are only allowing ratepayers to write a letter to protest, and not registered voters.
The issue was that apparently during last night's meeting the CCWD Directors said that if you don't like it, you can vote out your CCWD Director next election. But that is a different electorate, per CCWD.
If you don't want your CCWD rates to increase, you must write a letter to CCWD in protest of the 70% rate increase.
Spellman could not get three Supervisors to ask for legal counsel to clarify if what CCWD is doing is legal or not, and he was upset.
Spellman continued to disrupt the conversation and the chair had to call for "decorum" on the Board.
6 comments:
Spellman as emperor for the day, interrupted, chastised a citizen over relevance. From what I heard the same citizen questioned Spellman's relevance to the posted subject matter.
“CCWD Directors said that if you don't like it, you can vote out your CCWD Director next election”
What is it difficult to deal with ANY person involved in an elected position in Calaveras County? From Lake Tulloch HOA's to the CCWD to the BOS. The canned response to a difficult challenge or tough question from the public is , "If you don't like it, you run" or "If you can do better, you run for this office/chair!" My favorite is, "I don't get paid for doing this!". As long as we have these wimpy responses to our REAL concerns, elected officials can sit in their high chairs and throw all the Cheerios they want at those who elect them!
Supervisor Spellman needs to read the law. It is RATE PAYERS who get to submit comment regarding their opinion of the rate increase - NOT VOTERS.
Yes indeed "facts are friends." Rate payers need to get the facts and understand the status of a deteriorating infrastructure. You can't just "want" low rates when the reality of what it costs to provide your service is going up. Come on folks - just because it is government doesn't mean real costs haven't risen. Duh? Check out the cost of energy, wood, pipe, etc etc. How can a sane person think their water, sewer, garbage or other gvt rate will be the same as it used to be. Check out milk, cable, phone or Starbucks.
Rising costs is inflation caused by the devaluation of the dollar. Not because the product is better. today's dollar compared to the 1971 dollar is 12 to 15 cents in purchasing power.
Cost of energy? The San onofre nuclear power plant has been off line for over a year and is now shut down. It provided a significant percentage of power to the grid.
Since a portion of all property taxes goes to CCWD. Shouldn't we all get to vote on our areas CCWD representative? Even if we are not served by them?
Should the status of deteriorating infrastructure be understood by CCWD?
Planning for and setting aside funds for infrastructure should be a normal business function, shouldn't it?
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