Never satisfied (December 16, 2016)
So Scott Nassif isn’t happy that Liberty Utilities has proposed freezing water rates temporarily (Liberty requests 2-year ‘rate freeze’ in Apple Valley
, Daily Press, December 16, 2016). At this point, you have to wonder if anything would make the Town council happy?
They aren’t happy with the local control we enjoy over our water system, so they’re trying to change that. They aren’t happy that we have a well-run water system so they’re trying to change that, too. They don’t like that there’s not enough fire standby in the NAVISP, but they really didn’t like it when Liberty proposed a solution. They don’t even like that we seem to have enough water for our daily needs, so they criticized Liberty for putting in a new well to ensure that supply going forward.
Of course, the Big Lie from the Town is that Liberty charges too much for water, which according to them means the Town should take over the water system and keep the rates the same. (When confronted by Eric Larsen, though, Nassif had to acknowledge that Liberty’s rates are comparable to those in surrounding areas.)
The Town council has also lied repeatedly about Liberty increasing rates 14 percent, and then complained when the actual rate request was less than 5 percent. Now Nassif is complaining even though Liberty has offered to freeze rates.
But then, the Town council can’t afford to express anything but contempt for Liberty, because the Town’s financial survival seems to depend on its rule-or-ruin attacks on our water company. Therefore, the smears and innuendo against Liberty will not stop until either eminent domain is successful, or the reality of the Town’s financial situation becomes so obvious that even our Town council members will have to address it substantively.
— Greg Raven is Co-Chair of Apple Valley Citizens for Government Accountability, and is concerned about quality of life issues.
Published: Daily Press, December 27, 2016