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Letters to the editor
Confused by CW Schools
(This is a copy of a letter sent to Canal Winchester Schools Superintendent. Dr Miller-Smith.)
I read the article "CW Schools seek funds for buildings" in the Dec. 27 Southeast Messenger and I have a lot questions and I believe a lot of Canal Winchester citizens may also like to know the answers.
The battle scars from the recent levy vote are still very fresh. Yet now, I read the we are looking at building two new buildings and expanding another one. How is this fiscally possible?
The emergency levy passed because we were all told the school district was in a financial crisis. How do you plan to cover the initial and on-going costs of the new buildings/additional space? What happens when the current emergency levy expires? How can we afford all this when last year we could not afford busing or field trips?
I am completely confused at this point.
Lowel T. Bolin
Canal Winchester
Remember the good things
I am writing this letter in response to the letter "Bad news for the new year" published in the Dec. 27 issue of the Southeast Messenger.
As I shared that letter with my husband and my friend of over 35 years I couldn't help but think of all the good news there is to think about. I am not saying there isn't any bad news. I, too, have lost my job and I had a major cancer surgery but I am thankful for my health that I have right now.
I look at this day that we have been blessed to have and I think of all the other stories in the Southeast Messenger about the students helping students, the heroic actions of a conductor and train engineer that saved peoples lives, the farewells of wonderful people that have served our communities for years, and an amazing blind soldier that had dropped to his knees after being injured to pray others instead of praying for himself. I am so thankful to just have another day; even with all the bills we have to pay.
No matter what happens in the coming year, I hope we can look at all the good news that is happening all around us. I hope we can give thanks for our families, our friends, our health, and all the things we can not buy. I pray that the Southeast Messenger continues to write more good news in the coming year to encourage people and help them to smile during these difficult times.
Peggy Murphy
Groveport
Concerned about Madison Township feasibility study
In view of recent events dealing with economic issues regarding the Madison Township Police Department, and a discussion by the Madison Township trustees of other options, that being: contracting with the sheriff's department for police services for the township and a feasibility study known as "Consolidation of Police and Fire Services," in my opinion is a step towards dissolving the township police department and its history since its creation in 1972 by then trustee Robert Brobst.
In retrospect, the township fire department, based on a recent budget meeting and review of its proposed operating budget and cuts for 2010 appears to be on sound financial ground.
In comparison, I believe the police administration and trustees should step forward and make some hard decisions by evaluating the non-essential appropriations in cost savings and budgetary cuts within the police department and not an outside organization and save the taxpayers the expense of this study.
All options and resources should be explored within the police department, township administration, and community to take the necessary steps to maintain our police department in order to maintain the ideology of having a community oriented police department its citizens can be proud of.
I ask the trustees to work with the police officers and their constituents in finding an equitable solution to the police department's crisis and to fine tune the department's operations and financial concerns.
The first line of defense is your community police department, as they are the "protectors of privileges" and the residents personally know most of the officers and have formed a trusting relationship with them. Without your community police department the quality of service and response time statistically would be adversely affected.
Gary McDonald
Madison Township
(McDonald was a sergeant with the Madison Township police department and retired after 33 years.)
Harris wants residents to speak out on water rates
I encourage area residents to make their opinions known on a proposed Ohio American Water Company (OAW) water and wastewater rate increase. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) has scheduled a public hearing on Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. in the Eastland Career Center multi-purpose room, 4465 S. Hamilton Road, Groveport.
In an already difficult economic time, it's not right that companies are taking advantage of their consumers. I requested a hearing on this case by the Ohio Consumers Council which took place last summer. I also attended the Fight the Hike kick-off event in September and have received many letters, e-mails and phone calls from concerned constituents. We cannot tolerate companies unreasonably raising the cost of basic necessities.This type of business practice led me to introduce House Bill 344. This consumer protection bill, which is still in the committee process, would set reasonable limits on how much in excess fees water companies can charge customers.
I sent a letter to the PUCO requesting they take a close look at OAW's rate request. Their subsequent staff report confirms the position that the rate hike is excessive and should be reduced.
According to the PUCO, OAW requested a 60 percent revenue increase phased in over four years through stepped annual rate increases. PUCO staff is recommending a 6.56 percent rate increase. That means a customer with a $44.82 monthly rate would pay $47.76 after the rate change.
PUCO staff believes OAW needs to change its business model to better control costs and to better reflect economic conditions in the market it serves.
The Ohio Consumers' Counsel has called for a rate decrease in the OAW case, alleging the company of setting higher rates for residential customers to subsidize the rates industrial customers pay.
Marian Harris
State Representative, 19th District
PUCO should do what's right
In a recent letter to the editor, David K. Little, president of Ohio American Water (OAW), stated OAW is not a foreign owned company. However, company history was not mentioned.
American Water was founded in 1886 as the American Water Works & Guarantee Company and in 1947 reorganized and renamed the American Water Works Company. In January 2003, the German utility RWE acquired the company for $8.6 billion, which included a transfer of $4 million in debt to the parent company and renamed it American Water. The sale was announced in 2001, but was delayed since the PUCO in each of the 27 states where it holds contracts had to first approve the transfer of ownership.
Many public hearings showed the public was not convinced having a huge foreign corporation operate their water systems would benefit them. Concerns were raised RWE would use American Water to finance its huge debt by increasing rates - 2003 was the year when our rates started to skyrocket. RWE never saw the heady profits it anticipated.
In April 2008, American Water shares began trading on the NYSE. In November 2005, RWE announced plans to sell American Water. The sale was part of RWE's plan to focus on selling electricity, natural gas, and water in European markets. In 2008, RWE spun off American Water, but retained a majority stake, which has since been reduced to about 25 percent.
Mr. Little also stated his concern over the public relations campaign of using an out of state public relations firm. Perhaps he was worried of what happened in Tennessee when the citizens there hired Waterhouse Public Relations to build a Web site and rally customers against a proposed rate increase. Granted, Waterhouse is a Tennessee based company and their resulting campaign helped pressure government regulators to approve only about a fifth of the rate increase Tennessee American Water (same company as OAW) asked for.
Why should we not hire the best possible people, regardless of their location, to help stop this company from trying to make us pay for their huge debt because of poor management and business skills?
Citizens need to stand together and say no to companies like OAW who are trying to make us pay for their poor decisions. The PUCO has to do what is right and tell these corporations like this that it is not the responsibility of the average tax paying citizen to pay for poor management decisions.
David Rogers
Madison Township
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