| Show I Dissenting Opinion on Water Sewer Water Sewer Bond Issue BYRDS BYRD'S AGENCY Moab Utah To the Editor The Times Independent Moab Utah Dear Sam I have attended every meeting meetIng meeting meet meet- ing that Ive I've known about this past six months relative t to the proposed sewer and water bond Issue My profession proCession as a real estate broker not only allows me more time to devote to su such h matters than most people It Ismy is ismy ismy my duty to be well informed on on them I have studied the problem problem pro pro- blem and possible solutions as thoroughly as I know how Af After N. N After Af- Af ter three months of careful consideration consideration con con- I have finally decIded decided decided ed to write this letter Moab's sewer and water system tem tern may not be perfect but sit it seems adequate to take care of all of our homes plus the mobile mobile mobile mo- mo mo mo- bile homes of those living on private lots and even about three thousand temporary residents resi residents resi- resi dents living in trailer parks The Question as I see it Is sim sim- ply this Do the real property owners to go Into debt for thirty years for a million sixty thousand dollars to build additional sewer and water fa facilities facilities fa- fa for temporary temporary- ls s who may leave at any time timeT The proposed project will be expensive to everyone The nu minimum min n- n water rate will be raised noe third This is to be done by charging for 2000 gallons gallons gal gal- lons Ions of water whereas before I we haVe hale been getting gallons gallons gallons gal gal- lons for The water over the minimum will be about 25 per cent more expensive as the rate will win be raised from 17 cents to 22 cents per thousand gallons The sewer charge for single toilet homes will go up per cent or from rom to per month Homes with more than one toilet as well as businesses and institutions will willBO go BO up much more I haven't haven t been able to find rind out just how much These rates are based on our oar present population which is of course inflated by temporary temporary ary construction crews oil drilling drilling drilling ling crews geophysical parties etc Should the population decrease decrease de des crease the rates would have to tobe tobe tobe be raised and raised to maintain maintain maintain main main- tain the revenue needed to pay payoff payoff payoff off the debt I suggest that the voters look at the examples set by our neighboring towns that have boomed gone into debt and then were left to pay after the boom was over An estimate of future population tion must be the basis of arriving ar ax riving at any solution to our TOUT s Aw R 7 cate sate that there are about one thousand men employed direct direct- Jy ly in the uranium mining and milling industry Texas Gulf Gult Sulphur Co has repeatedly warned that once their potash mine and mill are in operation they plan to employ about men This warning was again voiced by an official of that company at a recent meeting of the Moab City Council which I attended At the same meetIng meeting meet meet- ing Mitchell president of questioned the city administration and engineer as asto asto asto to the bond proposal He recommended recommended recommended rec rec- that they obtain the services of an independent engineering engineering en en- firm with a record of of success In making population estimates Many of our largest and best uranium n mines like the Ike Dee Far West Columbia and Jen Jon will be mined milled out and shut down shortly after the first of next year The rest of the large uranium mines are scheduled to be mined out in 1966 1006 If t I am em not mistaken at atthe atthe atthe the meeting mentioned above an Independent geologist re remarked remarked reo re- marked that evert even if It the extended the market for uran uranium hum ium after atter the 1966 1900 off tut date he thought that the chances of or finding another uranium mining district comparable to the DIg Big Indian were only one in a mil mU- lion We cannot afford at this time to underestimate what a alose loss lose of these jobs will m mean to our city A basic law in real estate is that a town must live off ort its exports Everyone of us WI Should be working and thinking thinking think think- ing about bringing new industries industries indus indus- tries to Moab Tomorrow a anew anew anew new development or industry may completely change our needs I 1 am not qualified to say if the refinancing of the old bonds is a good thing I doubt that m many residents are qualified to analyze a bonding issue of or this thIS' type I 1 know from rom experience that when you refinance a ahouse ahouse ahouse house car house trailer or most anything else you lose a alot alot alot lot o of money in the process I think the city administration should consult an expert in this field completely Independent of the company and engineering firm that will profit from the sale of the bonds A very small increase In utility utility util util- ity rates disqualifies many would-be would nIA home buyers The lowest priced FIFA house built in Moab this past year hassold has hassold hassold sold for about The buyer buy buy- er or for this home is required to tomake tomake tomake make about per month after federal income taxes and Installment payments are deducted de de- ducted An increase of only 10 per month in utility rates or taxes would make it necessary necessary sary for the buyer to net 40 more or to buy the same house Owners Owner's equities in our older subdivision homes are caching the level that refinancing refinancing refinancing is often necessary to sell seU the home This Is a very serIous serious serious ser ser- ious consideration to anyone contemplating the sale of a n home An Industry which uses any quantity of water considering Moab as a plant location would give careful consideration to the fact that a small decrease In population might send their water rate soaring I wish I could feel sure that the lation laUon of Moab would continue t tb to increase Having staving observed Helper Yelper Price Green River Mt Pleasant Farmington Cortez Delta and perhaps most comparable Park ark City Utah there is no doubt In my mind that It is possible for a town to decrease in population Every town I 1 have lived In has had a water shortage problem at one time Hire or another Actu Actu- Actually ally our water problem to date has not hot been bad At least ten months out of the year It Is no problem at all aU Personally I 1 think that better wat water r mant management man alone may get us through this questionable per iod sod I 1 would much rather have watering hours than take a chance on 50 a mOnth water bills In 1967 1007 I 1 wish that we could vote to tomake tomake tomake make just just the Improvements and additions addition's to our sewer and water system which are re absolutely absolutely absolutely necessary to take care of the temporary trailer hous hous- es The pay off on sU such h improvements improvements im im- should be set up so that they are completely paid off within five years by the residents who make them ne ne- ne Was it good business for the city to annex Into the city limits large parcels of land for huge buge trailer parks and turn right around and ask the property property property pro pro- perty owners of Moab to build the treatment plant and water waterlines waterlines waterlines lines for or these and other users to use By using a formula published publish publish- ed In one of your water features features features feat feat- ures I come up with a figure of for engineering on the project if It Is approved I have further been told by a city council member that regular regular re re- re gular payments for or engineering services during the past ten months are around It seems to me me that a resident engineer engineer en en- experienced qualified and mature could be retained to o do all design for Improving and supervision of own already ed city facilities The money saved might very well pay pay his salary for quite a number of years I hope that the other voters will join me in electing a new city administration which is pledged to changes in city go go- I hope that they will join me and vote NO on the sewer and water bond Issues sending them back to the new administration with a mandate I that they study re-study th the whole problem Yours truly D. D E. E PETE BYRD I apologize to the people who live in house trailers I dont don't know what we would do wI without you and I dread the day when we have to find out |
