Weigh your sources (March 3, 2016)
Richard Turnbull imagines himself an expert on the water issue here in Apple Valley after listening to only one side of the story: That of the Town of Apple Valley (Weighing in on water,
Daily Press, June 3, 2015). If he had done a bit of investigating on his own, he would have discovered the Town has lied about almost every substantive point of fact on this issue.
For example, he writes that the new owner of Apple Valley Ranchos Water Company, Liberty Utilities, overpaid for its purchase. That’s according to the Town, though, which has never exhibited the least evidence that it knows anything about running a water utility, including what one might be worth. That fair value
oft-trumpeted by the Town (and now, by Turnbull), is a figment of the imagination. Proof of this can be seen in the fact that Liberty Apple Valley holds more in water rights alone than the Town has offered for the water rights, all the mains, the physical plant, etc. The Town’s offer not only doesn't pass the laugh test, it’s so outrageously low that the Town itself doesn’t believe it.
Turnbull also writes that Liberty Utilities is going to recover the allegedly excessive purchase costs by overcharging Apple Valley ratepayers for water. If Turnbull had checked, he would have found out that this is not the way rates are set.
Turnbull also seems miffed that a private enterprise would want to fight to keep what it has earned. I’ll bet the Town Commissars are surprised, too.
— Greg Raven is Co-Chair of Apple Valley Citizens for Government Accountability, and is concerned about quality of life issues.