I have lived in Clearlake for 33 years, 22 of them as a homeowner.
After a long period of unemployment in 2008 and almost exhausting my benefits, I sought employment out of county because there were and still aren”t any jobs in town.
I pay taxes. I vote. I also pay for a sewer hookup on my water bill, again on my property taxes and as a separate bill from the Lake County Special Districts.
I often wondered why I pay three times for the same service. Recently, the sewer increase was voted in by my elected officials after the citizens polled failed to say yes.
I wrote, I called, I e-mailed for help. One supervisor responded with some suggestions, one was too busy and another has yet to respond.
I am told the SmartMeter matter was more important. Well, I am already living on the bare essentials of life: no landline, no garbage service, no cable, barely buying food. I”m basically just paying the bills and buying gasoline and going to work.
I don”t go to the shows, casino, restaurants or have any other frivolous acts in my life and now am looking at walking away from a home I had planned to leave to my family after paying the mortgage for 22 years. All this because I cannot afford the increase in sewer costs? When were my elected officials going to work for my benefit as promised?
Seniors and those on fixed-incomes cannot afford these increases caused by the SmartMeter, the sewers or the gas prices. It is this population who suffer the most. I am now drinking lots of water all day long to quell the hunger, because I can only pay to eat once a day.
Board of Supervisors, are you listening or do you care?
I realize you make a lot more money than us average Joe”s, but try to live on $10 per hour for 30 days and then get back to me!
I think it only fair and respectful that this governing team take a good hard look at this sewer increase and provide some help before they are governing an empty county.
Look around, there are already too many empty homes that do not sell. Mine will be next.
R. Davis
Clearlake
