The most important issue in Coldstream (and probably all other jurisdictions in the area) is maintaining a democratic, open and transparent government.
My pledge is that my actions will continue to be in support of the taxpayers' best interest.
Another important issue is fair service costs. The generally accepted principle of fairness is that you pay for service you receive. If the cost to deliver one cubic meter of water to your home is $1 than you should expect to pay $20 for 20 cubic meters. That is not the case with our water utility. Even though we urge people to conserve water we charge significantly higher unit rates to low water consumers than we do to water guzzlers. Say you consume 10 cubic meters a quarter your cost is $66.20 or $6.62 per cubic meter. If your consumption is 100 cubic meters per quarter you pay $1.51 per cubic meter. Does that sound like user pay? The reason is a very high flat component of the price structure. The flat rate of past years was an extreme form of this rate structure. It is totally unfair.
Council and I have been working to change this attitude for years but to date we only made modest headway. If re-elected I intend to continue to work towards a change of the rate system to a more reasonable and fair system. Of course, your Council and I cannot do it alone, your assistance in lobbying other elected official would be required to succeed. You have the power!
Sewer rates were very unfair prior to this Council's election. In 2008 all customers paid a flat rate of $142 per quarter ($568 per year). This Council started to implement a user pay system. Today's minimum quarterly rate is $88.84 up to 15 cubic meters (and any additional cubic meter costs $2.31. Much better for low contributors. There is still room for improvement.
Council and I have been working to change this attitude for years but to date we only made modest headway. If re-elected I intend to continue to work towards a change of the rate system to a more reasonable and fair system. Of course, your Council and I cannot do it alone, your assistance in lobbying other elected official would be required to succeed. You have the power!
Sewer rates were very unfair prior to this Council's election. In 2008 all customers paid a flat rate of $142 per quarter ($568 per year). This Council started to implement a user pay system. Today's minimum quarterly rate is $88.84 up to 15 cubic meters (and any additional cubic meter costs $2.31. Much better for low contributors. There is still room for improvement.
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