About Me

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I have served the City of Isanti as Mayor since 2007. We have accomplished great things together and I look forward to building on our success. United, we move forward to a better future. You may contact me at 763-442-8749 or e-mail me at george@georgewimmer.com.

Thursday, April 07, 2011

Water and Sewer Rates Update

We have been working on trying to limit the negative impact of the water sewer rate increase.... as we have discussed over the last few months we are forced to do this because of the harmful impact of the previous Mayor and Council's decision to make the City liable for the development east of 65 and the taking of private property instead of having the developer foot the bill as was done before and after this project. We started at a $400 plus Sewer water rate increase then we moved to a $300 plus sewer/water rate increase and we have gotten down to a $0 water rate increase and a $18 per month increase for an average 7,000 gallon sewer user.

Thankfully the Water Treatment plant came in under budget as I have stated before so it did not have a negative impact on the water fund....

Some have asked why not just raise tax rates to pay the debt. Two reasons I have for that is it hides the reasons for the fee increase and money raised by taxation for the general fund can be spent any way the Council directs. First item is this project was saddled to the sewer/water fund originally as it was an infrastructure project. These fees were to pay for this project as the then Mayor and Council gambled that well over a 100 new houses would be built each and every year for 10 years. 

The other reason is the Council can say we are collecting money through taxation for this or that but spend it on something else and still have the debt problem. If the money is raised through a sewer fee it has to be spent on the project and only sewer type projects as mandated by State law. 

2 comments:

Simon said...

What you are talking about is collective punishment.Where is the proof that 100 houses were to be built every year? The article you are a part of in the states largest paper makes us look like a bunch of losers. I heard a comment the other day and now I know it is true, you have never met a camera that you didn't like.....

George said...

The Mayor and Council majority at the time voted to accept all that debt.... they are the ones that put us all on the hook.... there is no other solution the debt has to be paid... you want to be mad be mad at them...The debt was to be funded by over 100 I believe 140 or so houses... the proof is in the council resolutions that were passed at the time... this is not in dispute... So I and John Bettendorf and Greg Owens and Mark Rojas and all the others that were part of the story made ISanti looking bad really... we are just being honest about and transparent.