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Show LET'S GO BY TOE BOOK! We're not saying the raises are not justified, nor are we, at this t me, opposed to proceeding wuh a sewer and water project. But, our recollection, duly reported in this paper, back in 1S71, was a motion by Swain and passed pass-ed unanimously which said, "There will be no raise in rates, nor will the council proceed with a sewer and water system, until the subject is brought before the citizens." We had reported in a previous issue that it was possible pos-sible for the city fathers to make these decisions without an election or mandate from the people, and were relieved that this motion was on the books. But, Monday night the Council did raise water rates by over 50, and they have applied for loans and grants, which theoretically and maylbe in actuallity will be difficult to get out of without with-out going to the people. In fact, this has all been done without even so much as a motion on the books, stating that the Mayor and Council will proceed to upgrade or rebuild the Milford Sewer and Water System. Is this an oversight, or are the city fathers, under the guise of immediacy, attempting to pull a fast one? We believe at this time the former is true but we warn again that according to law they need never give the people a choice. We realize that the $80,000 grant the Council is attempting at-tempting to get must be sought in this fiscal year. But we are also aware that one of the prerequisites for getting this grant is that the city must own the land for the lagoon la-goon ponds. We know also that the city fathers as of Monday night did not even know the owners of the property prop-erty which they intend to use. And we know that condemnation condem-nation suits can sometimes last years we know also that when governlment tends to get the cart before the horse, especially when federal funds are involved those in power have a tendency to get careless with public funds. They sometimes pay exhorbitant sums for property worth only fractions of the cost. We are not crying wolf we see no evidence of misrepresentation or foul play but, we believe in their exhuberance to get the show on the road, a few details have been overlooked. We ask that the city fathers make a definite commitment to the people for a water and sewer system. And then, Ibefore the taxpayers and citizens are again compromised, let's let them have a say, as the mo-Ition mo-Ition of 1971 says. |
