I greatly respect the time and energy that members of the City Council and citizen advisory groups expend. However, that does not mean that every citizen advisory recommendation is correct, nor does it mean that the council should accept every recommendation made.

With regard to the new water rates and recent city expenditures, I feel this council has been both disingenuous and reckless — disingenuous, because they have not given the people a real choice on the consumption-based fixed rate (CBFR) structure until now, and reckless, in their spending on questionable projects.

Initially, we were not given a chance to vote on the CBFR as it was conflated with the vote on the water project. Those of us who were for one but not the other were disenfranchised. The council’s offer of a Proposition 218 protest was as weak as possible without violating the law. Measure P is on the June ballot thanks to the initiative process.

Can this rate structure really be considered fair when 67 percent of our monthly water bills is determined by our last summer’s water use? This is like paying two-thirds of your school tax based on how many of your children attended school last year. This council also has been reckless with the city’s treasury, spending money it didn’t have on causes noble or otherwise, such as the narrowing of Fifth Street and the study of a public power utility. And now it is asking for a major tax increase in Measure O.

I encourage everyone to vote and ask that you consider voting yes on Measure P for sensible and fair water rates and no on Measure O to compel the City Council to forgo projects for which there never were sufficient funds.

Mine is usually a reliable liberal vote, but I will also be looking carefully at the more conservative candidates for public office this year. At this time we cannot afford to fund every idea, good or not, that comes along.

Robert G. Holly
Davis

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