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New Sewage System or Not.In yesterdays paper there was an article about how the city needs a new sewage system that is going to cost this city $71 million. The cost of that system would be the burden of the citizens of this town. The Mayor didn't say that this was needed, nor did the city council. A government agency, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is telling the city we need this done. The cost of this new system would be start out at an addition of $5 to you LMU bill in 2011 and by 2023 you'l be paying $53. The Mayor said the citizen of this city can't afford to pay for it. What would happen if we don't upgrade the sewage system. The ramifications include a sewer ban placed on the city by the federal government. The ban restricts any new business or home from connecting into the sewer system, essentially prohibiting any economic development. To me this is our federal government blackmailing a community and its citizens from encouraging growth. This further promotes that growth will only occur in areas where utilities meet the governmental standards that the EPA has set forth. So I looked at a recent LMU bill. In one month I paid $9.15 for sewage and $4.95 for storm water. That is $14.10 for sewage. In 2011 that I would be paying a projected $19.10 for sewage and storm water using current rates. By 2023 if I live here that long, I will be paying $69.10. We all know that there is a possibility that the electric company could or will be sold to Dukes or some other electric provider which will raise our electric rates. By 2023 my LMU bill could be close to $150 a month. I'm just making my current payment obligations right now. How are we going to pay for this if wages remain flat and there is no industrial growth?
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Those increases won't pay the bill
$71 M @ 4.5% over 30 years = $360 k per month to service debt and interest. If Logansport has 17k people, and there are an average of 3.5 people per household - the monthly payment (sewage increase) would need to be $74.07 per house. This calculation does not account for industry, and does not pay for upgrades, maintenance, and operating expenses of the new system. Grants from state or federal sources spreads expense to other people who will not benefit. Both levels of government have their own challenges anyway. Tough choices ahead as infrastructure continues to deteriorate.
new fees on on storm water
I just recieved my LMU bill it went up $20.00 I read in the newspaper. that the citizens of Logansport will have to pay more for storm water. What is going on? we will have to pay for trash pick up in the near future. My payment fee for the Pharos Tribune went up too. I keep working harder and I am not getting ahead at all
outrageous!
It is easy to say that most people in Logansport cannot afford the absorbanent increase that it would take to make these mandated upgrades.
And you can bet if they are estimating 71 Million now...it will be 100 Million before it's over.
This type of increase will devastate any future growth in the community......and we can't blame LMU, as they will have to pay for it somehow.
(I may start looking for a home in the country soon)
Kado Downs
http://logansport.myminicity.com/
http://twitter.com/kadodowns
Calm
It is totally outrageous, but let's step back from the abyss, take a few deep breaths, and think this thing over. I have reread the article and don't see a timeline mentioned for compliance. Since 770 cities are in the same boat as us, I can't see the Federal Government not doing something to lessen the obvious burden on the citizens. Then there are grants that could lessen the costs, changes in engineering that could lessen the costs, appeals, and court ordered stays that could effect the timing of installation if installation happens at all.
I am curious, without pointing fingers at anyone, since it has been known since the 1940s at the least that we were discharging raw human waste into a major watershed system used by millions of people, why hasn't something been slowly done to address this over the last 70 years or so. I don't think we need the EPA nor Clean Water Act to tell people of average intelligence that dumping raw human waste into a major river is wrong. A dime or two then might be a thousand or two now.
Let me tell you a true story that you can check. The State of Illinois with the cooperation of the Federal Parks System confiscated 15 acres of land in Gallatin County Illinois from me in 1967. This was taken for what would be the largest man-made lake in the State of Illinois under the terms of the Ohio River Valley Waterways Act of 1858. Peabody Coal Company immediately filed for a stay by vitue of them owning the mineral rights to coal laying beneath the ground of most of the properties confiscated. That was 42 years ago and not one drop of lake has been built yet. Peabody estimates it will take another 50 to 80 years to remove their coal property. Since strip mining has actually removed entire mountains that were to be used in damning for the lake, it is entirely possible that even after all that time the lake still will never be built.
Point is, while things may look black now they can change in the blink of an eye. Planning to meet this challenge must start immediately and be done with cool heads. Someone much smarter than me once said "Today is the child of yesterday."
point well taken
That is a very astute assessment of the situation.
There is no doubt that we have to protect our natural resources. I just hope we are able to achieve it without breaking the bank.
PS..that really sucks about your land. I believe I would hire an attorney on that one. Who knows, you might own a strip mine before it's over.
Kado Downs
http://logansport.myminicity.com/
http://twitter.com/kadodowns
Not a new issue
This "issue" did not just develop. The question the citizens of Logansport need to be asking is why has this eventuality been kept so quiet? The mayor, city council, and utility service board have known this issue was out there for quite some time. Instead of the politicians whining in the Pharos-Tribue which has become standard operating procedure as they figure out how to award $100,000 in scholarships, why don't they publicly call out our federal politicians, i.e. Congressman Donnelly, Senators Bayh and Lugar. Its time the politicians quit crying about how broke the City is and spend sometime with our federal representatives instead of traveling overseas and courting the Japanese. With the prospect of future soaring utility costs would you relocate to Logansport? Someone needs to get their priorities squared away.