As reported in the Jan. 21 issue of the Pathfinder, Walt Hill provided “information” to the hospital district directors that involved an assortment of truths, half-truths, distortions and outright false information. It was painful for me as a fellow sewer district director to read what he put forth to supposedly educate another board’s leaders how to cast their district’s vote on the up-coming bond election.
I hope that each of the district’s qualified electors will be able to vote in the best way for him- or herself based on an understanding of factual information. Neither supporters nor opponents to the sewer system should focus on fearmongering.
Simultaneously, I believe voters should be provided with accurate information.
• Hill called the bond election a “ploy.” FACT: General manager Jean Curtiss introduced the idea of bonding to the board to account for the financial shortfall.
• Hill stated that the funding authorized via the 2017 Notice and Protest sufficiently funded the project. FACT: He failed to mention the project was not ready to go to construction with numerous requirements entirely unmet. A few requirements are still unmet. Board inaction on requirements delayed the project, not a lawsuit.
• Hill stated that if the electors vote down the bond [there are actually two--one to cover the debt for the treatment plant and one to cover the collection system for Sub-district]-- 1) funding will go away. FACT: Current funding for the proposed SBR sewer will go away. Impacts of that may be mixed offering both risk and opportunity. The district is currently obligated to address “wastewater” treatment which could be done with an assortment of projects and various funding mechanisms.
• Hill suggested that both the state DEQ and the county health department will force a sewer. FACT: Each of those entities has indicated to some degree that there are groundwater concerns and property owners have a responsibility to improve wastewater treatment. Finding a remedy wastewater issues, is NOT the same thing as being mandated to install a sewer.
• Hill provided cost estimates that were not particularly accurate. FACT: Costs will differ from property to property. If the bonds pass, property owners in all sub-districts will pay for the general obligation bond proportional to their property value and an assessment to cover the costs of operating the district. In addition, Sub-district 1 property owners will pay a common, set amount for the sub-district collection system and operation and maintenance charges for using the sewer. There is no obligation to build a sewer. Hill’s speculation about horrific future costs if the bonds fail amounts to unsupported guessing at best and fearmongering at worst.
• Hill didn’t specifically address the estimated costs of Operation and Maintenance. In sewer board meetings, he has noted they were very costly.
It is time to carefully evaluate information and your priorities. “Critical Thinking” – the ability to analyze information objectively and to make a reasoned judgment – should lead to the best outcome for both you and the district.
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