Letters to Editor
Dear Editor:
‘Tis the season for ghosts, spooks and spirits galore, but the really scary thing knocking at the door is Ordinance 13.
Mayor Phil would have you believe that the town will fall to pieces without a new utility. The EPA will be banging at the door! They will storm the town in black, unmarked trucks! Come on Mayor Phil, are you kidding me?
Folks, the above is not going to happen. The only guarantee with Ordinance 13 is that you will pay, I will pay and all the businesses and non-profits will pay. Mayor Phil will finally get his wish: The city can reach its hand into everyone’s pocketbook – for any amount the council decides. That’s called “progress”?
Don’t be fooled by Mayor Phil’s statement that the fee will be “under $2”. There is no guarantee here. Go look at the Ordinance: it has no limit. Mayor Phil and the city council could have had limits placed in the Ordinance. They did not. Remember too, the council will vote on the fee, and unless there is a tie, Mayor Phil cannot vote.
This Halloween don’t be fooled by Mayor Phil and some of the council members. But, have a Happy Halloween, and Vote NO on Ordinance 13!
Richard M. Fisher, Jr.
Osawatomie, Kansas
(913) 755-4330
Dear Editor,
The election is just a week away. Then, with all the political ads off the air, what will we do, will the programs be longer? One can only hope.
Locally, with the election just a week away the naysayers, those who don’t have the long term interests of Osawatomie at heart, have again raised their voices with misinformation and manipulation of facts. They should hang their heads in shame.
The facts are plain. EPA unfunded mandates in regard to storm water discharge, any water discharge for that matter, into rivers and streams, are coming. The larger cities and counties are already having to address these mandates and smaller cities are next in line. These unfunded mandates are costly and we need to be ready. A Storm Water Utility is a fair way to address this funding. It has been stated that this proposal is like a tax on the rain that falls on your roof. Not true. In fact this is silly. A storm water utility is a funding source to offset the cost of dealing with the storm water that runs off your property into the gutters, into the storm sewers and ditches and on into the river. Everyone who is an Osawatomie utility user will pay a utility fee in direct relationship to the amount of storm water that flows from the their property. This applies to residential property, business property, as well as schools, churches and non-profits, everyone. It can’t be more fair than that.
When the City Council first started to discuss this utility issue the thinking was that a flat fee for everyone was the way to go. But in consultation with the engineering firm what is working on our levee certification, which by the way, is an unfunded mandate that cost the city $400,000, it was pointed out that such a flat fee for everyone has not stood up well in court. The company then provided us with more information that when this utility is in place will provide fairness to all. This consultation and the adjustments made by the council speak well of the council.
It has been stated that when this utility is in place the funds will be used to create new sewers in the Northland when development starts there. Not true. The developer pays these costs.
Some say that this utility is established, it just means that the council has a lot of work to do.
Some have lifted and twisted line items in the city budget to point out that this utility is not needed. That’s childish. The city budget has been fondled and squeezed a length to keep costs down while at the same time providing basic services to citizens and support quality of life issues.
There was not an increase in the property tax mill levy in the 2011 city budget. While the city has no say in the valuation applied to property, it does have control to the mill levy. The mill levy has not been increased.
In conclusion just let me say that the EPA unfunded storm water mandates are coming. You can bet the rent on that. When they do come, they will be very costly. A Storm Water Utility is a fair way to be ready to address this situation when it comes. On the other hand, we can just wait and see, then raise the mill levy and other fees to meet these unfunded mandates. That doesn’t sound like a good idea to me.
The storm water issue needs to be addressed. That’s true, and a YES vote to establish a Storm Water Utility is a step in the right direction. I encourage everyone to vote YES on Ordinance 13 next Tuesday.
Ted Hunter
City Councilman, Ward I
Dear Editor:
Osawatomie Trojan Football! “They Suck!” “Losers!” “I would do better than that!”
The boys on the team have heard comments like this since their first loss. Maybe the people making these comments should either put on the pads and participate, or shut their mouth and put their “Glory Days” to bed. That is they had “glory days”. As a parent of a Trojan football player I am proud of my son and each and every one of those boys. Some of them started in June with conditioning four days a week. They then had two a day when school started. After that, the Friday night games began. These boys have played hard every night they have been on the field. The majority of the players have sacrificed their social lives, jobs, and even their health while playing with injuries. One more time, these young men play with heart and bust their butts over and over. No, the record is not the winning record we had last year! Does that mean that they are “losers” or they “suck”? NOT IT DOES NOT! What is means is the boys have learned a great lesson. Not only have they had to take one loss after another. They have heard nasty comments from spectators and classmates. Did they ever give up on or off the field? No, they have held their heads up high and continued to fight for a win in a game they obviously love! They also learned that winning is much easier. If your team is winning, the whole school, crowd, and community loves you. I think this year’s team is just as much a WINNER as last year’s. The points may not show it, but heart and sacrifices do. The Trojan football team has given it their all and played every game with heart. These boys should get the recognition that they deserve. They have the guts, courage and the determination to keep their heads up and still fight for a win. All the while, every week, enduring the ridicule and negativity. It takes a bigger and better person to roll with the punches both on and off the field. That means the Osawatomie Trojan football team are WINNERS!
Coleen Medina
Short URL: http://osawatominews.com/?p=484
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