I was surprised to find myself quoted in the newspaper from the Lakeport City Council meeting of Sept. 18.
I still strongly believe that the proposed timeline for doubling the sewer and water rates in the city is too fast. But I was even more surprised at the small number of responses that was reported from the public that voiced protest about the proposed increases.
I have asked a few neighbors if they were in favor of the rate increases and no one was.
There seems to me to be a disconnection between my informal questioning of some of the people on my street and the statistical fraction the city staff has calculated and wants to decide this issue on.
The article indicated that 1,215 valid protests were required to reject the rate increase.
That must mean that there are 2,430 ratepayers in the system if half are needed to reject. If only 360 written protests were received by the city that would mean that less than 15 percent of the ratepayers oppose the increase and I am concerned that the city staff will believe that to mean that 85 percent of the ratepayers are OK with this increase.
I think that the methodology to determine the feelings of the community was flawed and produced results that are inaccurate. The requirement of the inclusion of the assessor”s parcel number for a valid protest discouraged some people to write. I think the outreach efforts for citizen input could have been much better.
I had come to the council meeting to drop off my protest letter as the newspaper indicated and ended up staying and listening and finally, speaking. I have many concerns about the spending that is being proposed and I am going to try to become a better informed citizen before the next meeting. I am going to try to go to door-to-door on my street, Armstrong Street, and see if I can get a sense of how my neighbors feel. If the city”s numbers are correct then only one in six of my neighbors will have opposition to the rate increase.
If my findings are different, then maybe a different or more comprehensive method can be determined to tell the true attitude of the ratepayers.
I believe we need more data before this proposal can be decided. I urge my fellow Lakeport residents to ask your neighbors on your street how they feel about this issue and bring your results to the council meeting on Oct. 2.
Maybe there could be a copy of the assessor”s parcel numbers to help make valid protests proper.
Armstrong Street, like many of our city streets, is a melting pot of old people, young people, owner-occupied homes, renters, apartments, vacant houses, families with English as a second language or limited English language skills and absentee landlords. I feel making decisions predicated on the actions or inactions of these people are incorrect.
Keith A. Kirsch
Lakeport
