Ron Halter
03-06-2008, 02:41 PM
Massillon City Council will pass another sewer rate increase at Mondays meeting. This will be $40.00 over the next three years. The reasons that I heard would be to build up a reserve fund for future expenditures.
I think this was the reason for the defeat of the Mental Retardation levy on Tuesdays ballot.
The Sewer Funds have been the "cash cow" for the General Fund for the past ten years (if proof is needed, feel free to contact me). In 1996 I had over $3.2 million saved in The Wastewater Treatment Fund fo future EPA mandates.
I was relieved of my duties, by the administation, in June 1996, for refusing to approve legislation that would use that money in that reserve fund for projects not related to the Wastewater Treatment Department. The "spin" that was put on my departure was that " I had developed an ego and "had gotten to big for my britches", (whatever that refers to).
In two and one half years that $3.2 million was gone. In 1999 the sewer rates increases began.
The senior citizens that raised so much fuss over the increase of $5.00 per year in the lisence plate fees have been strangely silent on these rate increases.
Do you seniors realize that you pay the same rate as a family of 4,5,6 etc. while most of you pay the minimum water monthly charge. The same is true for apartment owners. An apartment is charged the same as a single family home owner. The same holds true in regard to the number of occupants of an apartment as opposed to a single family home, also very few appartments have laundry facilities. Large apartment buildings have coin operated laundry facilities that the apartment owner pays extra sewer rates for.
When the new rates were established in 1999-2000 all clasification were increased by an average of 8% while apartment rates increased 44%. The Stark County Metropolitan Sewer District used the same formulaes in their rate increases.
See: Massillon Codified Ordinances (On the Massillon web site)Part 9 section 937.09.
I think this was the reason for the defeat of the Mental Retardation levy on Tuesdays ballot.
The Sewer Funds have been the "cash cow" for the General Fund for the past ten years (if proof is needed, feel free to contact me). In 1996 I had over $3.2 million saved in The Wastewater Treatment Fund fo future EPA mandates.
I was relieved of my duties, by the administation, in June 1996, for refusing to approve legislation that would use that money in that reserve fund for projects not related to the Wastewater Treatment Department. The "spin" that was put on my departure was that " I had developed an ego and "had gotten to big for my britches", (whatever that refers to).
In two and one half years that $3.2 million was gone. In 1999 the sewer rates increases began.
The senior citizens that raised so much fuss over the increase of $5.00 per year in the lisence plate fees have been strangely silent on these rate increases.
Do you seniors realize that you pay the same rate as a family of 4,5,6 etc. while most of you pay the minimum water monthly charge. The same is true for apartment owners. An apartment is charged the same as a single family home owner. The same holds true in regard to the number of occupants of an apartment as opposed to a single family home, also very few appartments have laundry facilities. Large apartment buildings have coin operated laundry facilities that the apartment owner pays extra sewer rates for.
When the new rates were established in 1999-2000 all clasification were increased by an average of 8% while apartment rates increased 44%. The Stark County Metropolitan Sewer District used the same formulaes in their rate increases.
See: Massillon Codified Ordinances (On the Massillon web site)Part 9 section 937.09.