“You can fool all of the people some of time; you can fool some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all the people all the time.” Attributed to Abraham Lincoln in The New York Times, August 27, 1887.
What the city commission and chief of police say and what the ballot language says differs. And whether the people can afford to pay for emergency and long-term repairs to the water infrastructure, as well as pay for a "public safety building" has never been asked or answered.
The city received a $7.5-million grant/loan from USDA for a water project, but it comes with interim-financing requirements that are complicated and expensive. The USDA waits until after construction is completed before it gives the grant or loan. The grant is for $2.7 million and the loan for $4.8 million.
We, the poor rate payers whose water rates have gone up about 80 percent in the last five years, hope the city gets both of these legislative requests, otherwise rates are going to go up even more, according to T or C Mayor Rolf Hechler.
No disaster relief will be forthcoming from the state, which also precludes any federal disaster relief.
Three years and the city commission can't figure out whether it's a good idea to sell the electric facility. What they said about the three-year evaluation process is fatuous beyond belief.
March 19 we will see if the "Mean Girls" or the "CAVERS" win.
If at first you don't succeed. . .maybe the city will declare other water-system disasters that will open up state and federal coffers, but this first attempt probably failed.
Lying, reducing issues to one of personalities, suppressing fact-finding and shaming us for even thinking of defunding the police. We'll see if it works.
The water and wastewater departments are $1 million over budget before mid-year and not a word from the city commission.
Rates are going up, with still no word on whether the city is going to sell the electric facility to Sierra Electric Cooperative.
The city commission evidently thinks we are too stupid to understand capital projects and procurement procedures so they don't bother to explain them. An uninformed electorate dooms democracy and invites autocracy or kleptocracy.