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September 6, 2012

Letter is childish and disrespectful

Daily Iowegian

CENTERVILLE — Dear Editor,



On Aug. 28, 2012, the City of Centerville mailed a letter to all waterworks customers attempting to “clarify” their policy change regarding delinquent accounts. All their letter did was serve to prove how arrogant and out of touch the five members of the Centerville Waterworks Board are. Statements such as “Why is it that all the other bills must be paid and the water bill is last on the list for payment?” only speak to the arrogance, childishness, and disrespectful attitudes of those making these unreasonable demands.

In an attempt to draw pity from the residents of Centerville, the board explains their billing cycle. “The water department must pay for the water you used,” they write. Apparently it’s our fault these unelected board members voted unilaterally, against the wishes of the city’s residents, to close our water plant and begin purchasing water from Rathbun Lake.

The recent actions of our waterworks board are a perfect example of why government cannot be run like a business. One of the purposes of government is to provide services which cannot be obtained through a conventional business model. This is aptly demonstrated by the fact that our residents cannot continue to pay the rates necessary to cover the costs incurred by our waterworks board. Are we to stop consuming water? Are we to quit bathing? Of course not; water is necessary and, yes, the collection, treatment, and distribution of water costs money. However, the appropriate method of covering these expenses is not to simply say, “here’s your bill, pay it or go without.”

This letter shows beyond a doubt that the members of the Centerville Municipal Waterworks Board, Bill Milani, Linda Miller, Dale Sales, Nancy Bennett and particularly Carl Cisler, president, are unfit to manage a hot dog stand, let alone something so vitally important as our public water supply.



Signed,

Rob Matherly

Centerville

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