Opinion and Commentary By Donna Westfall – February 25, 2024 Every time the City wants to increase sewer rates we go in and tell them they've opened the door to fraud once again. Here's why: The City will not disclose public information. That's a huge red flag. The City will not provide a report on the expansion component of the wastewater treatment plant. Even if they destroyed it, there are ways to create a new one. They have not done so. How do you think the City can come up with a new sewer rate increase? They hired Willdan or a company out of Santa Barbara called Robert D. Niehaus to create a report. Developers are supposed to be responsible for paying for expansion, NOT ratepayers. Every time a developer hooks up a new property to sewer, they have to pay a connection fee. The City has a list of every single one. They City would not provide that list upon request while in their office. Also requested was a total figure on how much developers have paid since 2007 to present. The City could hire Willdan or Robert D. Niehaus to create a report on how much connection fees could be increased. Why won't they? Do you know how ridiculous 11.8% expansion sounds? That's the figure they tried selling us years ago. Didn't buy it then. Don't buy it now. Try 50% -70% expansion as a more realistic figure. We continue to ask for financials to find out who's paying their fair share for the wastewater treatment plant? Ratepayers? Developers? Why is it so difficult to get this information out of our City? I'd have to say it's the "C" word. "C" equals corruption. Remember the City of Bell, California? 4 of the 5 council members were arrested. The City Manager and City Attorney were fired, convicted, sent to prison and ordered to pay restitution. Listen, when our city council approved this past week a salary/benefit increase to nearly $1/4 million to the Fire Chief, something seemed terribly wrong. This is a small, poor community. The majority of our residents are on some form of government assistance. When the City uses Measure S (1% sales tax) money to hire 3 more Fire Captains at what looks like six figure incomes, something seems terribly wrong. Particularly since the majority of those call outs are not fire structure related. Our City will not take responsibility for the problems they have created for this town and it's residents by borrowing twice as much as they could afford on the wastewater treatment plant. Let's take a look at the City's VALUES which you can find on their website: VALUES: Accountability Honesty & Integrity Excellent Customer Service Effective & Active Communication Community Partnerships Fiscal Responsibility These statements are the basis for the City's Strategic Plan. In 2010, the City sued me and my husband to keep the sewer rate increase off the ballot. We had Attorney Tim Biddle from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association represent us in court. He told the Judge that the City didn't need to increase sewer rates and offered some solutions. One was to hire a private contractor to run the wastewater treatment plant. The City did not listen then. It took the City until 2019 to finally take that step. I have no idea how much money it cost all of us by waiting nine years to take that step. I would guess millions. What are we supposed to do when our leadership is not being honest, accountable or any of the rest that they espouse to be? Send them a Cease and Desist Notice which was done on February 22, 2024. If they do not provide documents within 10 days, a Writ of Mandate will be submitted to the Court. If you pay a sewer bill, wouldn't you like to know whether or not you're getting ripped off?