It’s not about water, it’s about money (July 27, 2015)
Art Bishop writes (Time for the truth,
Daily Press, July 16, 2015), that the Town of Apple Valley seizing Apple Valley Ranchos in its hostile takeover bid, eliminates that profit motive, and puts control of this essential element of life where it belongs — with the people.
Each of these claims is misleading.
First, while the Town may or may not have a profit motive, it certainly has other motives. Greed comes to mind, as do power and ambition, but perhaps the Town’s most powerful motive is the opportunity to paper over
its many financial improprieties over the years, with the help of the cash flow it hopes to harvest from seizing and operating Ranchos.
Second, there is simply no contradicting the evidence that the Town council is out of control, a situation that will be exacerbated should the Town seize our water utility. Already, the Town barely listens to residents, lies about what it intends to do, covers its tracks, and rebuffs citizen attempts to enforce transparency. The water will no more be in the control of the people
than the orbit of the moon. What the people will get is a whopping debt related to the purchase (to go along with existing debts from this council). At the same time, the people will lose all the protections and advocates for lower rates currently in place.
For months, the Town has been making it clear that water rates will not go down after the takeover. So even though they attempt to create confusion by saying it’s about the eliminating the profit motive, it’s still all about the money.
— Greg Raven is Co-Chair of Apple Valley Citizens for Government Accountability, and is concerned about quality of life issues.