Letter to the editor: Wastewater rate increase is concerning
To the editor,
Today I see another letter supporting the increase in wastewater. rates. As a Paso resident, I’m concerned as increases to our cost of living are going up much faster than my social security benefits. In the last year we’ve seen a significant increase to our freshwater cost. I’m in a household of two, with no lawn and minimal drip system for plants, and we pay $100 a month.
Also we’ve seen a new 1% sales tax. This in addition to the bonds that are circumventing our property tax protection under Proposition 13, we’re being taxed out of our homes.
In your last article on this subject, it mentions a partial reason was the loss of income from Templeton, but we also lost the responsibility to process their share of the wastewater. In the letter it mentions capital improvements. If we lost 20% of the required wastewater what would those improvements be? I’m guessing the projected needs of the thousands of new households our city leaders have approved for new construction. If that’s the case then these capital improvements should be levied against the developments.
It seems to me that if the city wants to raise any of our fee’s they should be required to justify it by publishing a financial report and mailing it with their proposal to every household. This report should reflect the previous allocations, and show the increases, it should be in a simple and digestible format that the average consumer can understand (as compared to the cities budget which requires a CPA to analyze.)
Overtaxing the residents will only increase the flight of Californians to other states. Financial burdens need to be shared by industry, tourism and the developers.
Michael Blackburn
Paso Robles
Editor’s note: Letters to the editor are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Paso Robles Daily News or its staff. We welcome letters from local residents regarding relevant local topics. To submit one, click here.
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