Flood control for Williamsburg, the southeastern part of Truth or Consequences and the Sierra County Fairgrounds is going to be expensive. Liability is probably driving this project, but it’s not been explicitly stated.
A city commission meeting chock full of fact-based reporting, with critical-thinking on display and real talk and direction from Mayor Rolf Hechler.
Polycart customers way overpay and commercial-dumpster and drive-in customers at the scale house way underpay. “Free” recycling is paid for, really, by the polycart customers.
More wheeling and dealing behind closed doors by the T or C city commission concerning the purchase of the PNC Bank building for the police department. The purchase and purchase price was done in secret and a switch in how to pay for the building's renovation was too.
The city commission approved the recording of a survey map of city land at the Aug. 14 meeting, a first step in offering the land for sale. Mayor Rolf Hechler said they are still gathering information and they won't sell "until we know what we are selling it for."
The district court will decide who our flood control directors will be over the next year IF the people decide we need a flood control district and another passel of local elected officials--we have a flood commissioner--or the additional tax and debt such a district will bring.
Whether you agree or not with the purchase, the lack of transparency in the process should give you pause, if you care about democracy.
It would seem we already upgraded the wastewater treatment plant, spending $11 million between 2016 and 2020. Now we need another $10 million in upgrades?
The people have pushed this issue to referendum twice, about five years ago and again March 19. Why bother doing it again when the T or C City Commission turns around and does it again, ignoring the people's will and election results?
Could the Sierra County Commission be pushing for a second flood-control taxing district because Jones stopped them from using the current pot of flood-control tax money on road equipment and employee salaries and benefits? So we might have to pay two sets of taxes for flood control?
Let's examine the Sierra County Commission's supposed reasons for wanting a flood district in addition to having a flood commissioner. It doesn't add up, it doesn't ring true, it doesn't pass the smell test.
The city commission blithely and without question accepted a $7.8 million estimate to not fix Cantrell Dam, but to "breach" it, as well as to increase downstream channel capacity. Two years ago the estimate was $1.7 million.