HomeMy WebLinkAbout1973 02-22 Councilman Greavu Will Oppose Maplewood's Water Charge Plan DISPATCH At, Cowicilm&jGreavuWil1pp 5
pwood's Water Chara Plan.Y
Maplewood council- of the water u t i l i t y for much-needed, exten- on g e n e r a l obligation The WAC charge has
man John Greavu says would escape the WAC sive improvements in taxes would amount to a been a topic at recent
he will vote against a charge and in Greavu's the system. 10 per cent tax increase council meetings and it's
water availability opinion that's"wrong." As an example, he cit- annually in Maplewood expected to pop up again
charge (WAC) proposal "I feel there is a more ed some $1.7 million in over the next t h r e e at a s e s s i o n tonight,
advanced by village ad- .fair, equitable method of improvement proposals years. starting at 7:30 at the
ministrators. doing it," he commented this year. That would result in Village Hall, 1380 Frost
Under the plan, home- at a V i 11 a g e Council Assessments, amount- taxpayers' resistance Ave.
owners and industrial meeting last week. ing to about $9 per front and "bad publicity," he Manager Miller said
and commercial estab- foot, he reported,' will predicted. it's a new way of raising
Ii s h m e n t s would be "I'm going to oppose cover only 45 per cent of So far Greavu is the water revenue and that
charged varying this WAC charge," he the costs. only m e m b e r of the Maplewood c o u I d be-
a m o u n t s either when announced. "We should five-member v i 11 a g e come the first communi-
they hook up to the pub- put it on a users' charge This year's improve- council to take a stand ty in the seven-county
lie water system or at or some o t h e r way, ments. based on a 20- for or against the WAC Twin Cities metro area
the time when it be- where everybody pays." year bond issue, would charge. to adopt it.
comes available. Village Manager Mi- commit the village to
This would be in addi- chael Miller said the ad- annual .p a y m e n t s of
$80,000,he indicated.
tion to the normal as- ditional revenues from a
s e s s m e n t for water WAC charge, amounting Miller estimated the
mains, connection fees to $150 for homeowners WAC charge, if adopted
and quarterly water bill- hooking up after Jan. 1, as recommended, will
ing. 1974, were necessary to raise $125,000 annually,
But present customers offset part of the costs a sum he said is neces-
sary to pay off this
year's and subsequent
bond issues. .
Greavu, meanwhile,
argues that the planned
system improvements
will benefit the entire
community, including
homewners a l r e a d y
hooked up to water.
The projects, he ex-
plained, improve pres-
sure and volume and
fire flows even in neigh-
borhoods that have had
municipal water for
years.
He suggests attaching
the costs to general obli-
gation, through a tax
levy, as being more eq-
uitable.
"Then everybody
pays,"he noted.
But councilman Don
Wiegert warned that a
tax levy wouldn't be
practical because of
state-imposed spending
limits on municipalities.
Manager Miller said
that to place the cost for
system improvements