The editorial in your June 4 edition, “Water rates a concern,” is simply the latest manifestation of less than ideal decisions made by our local politicians with regard to water.
I urge you to assign a reporter to look into the concern and report back to your readers just how much Greater Vernon is out of step with other municipalities when it comes to pricing water.
I believe you will discover the vast majority of municipalities price water on a cost recovery basis — purification costs, delivery costs, repair and maintenance costs plus a modest reserve fund to account for infrastructure replacement needs. That is not how it seems to be done in Greater Vernon.
Hopefully, you will be able to report to us why Greater Vernon has departed from the municipal pricing norm and why our politicians have approved water rates that have allowed the water works to accumulate reserves totaling many millions beyond what a cost recovery modus operandi generates.
I suspect you will find the decision to charge more than the cost recovery norm is what has led to the Sunshine Laundry Express closing its doors. I
t’s not what the water costs per se that did them in. It’s what they and thee and me are being charged above and beyond the cost recovery municipal pricing norm.
Unlike other essential utilities such as natural gas or electricity, there is no independent commission overseeing water rates.
I guess the thinking was that local politicians would work hard to keep water rates as low as possible.
Most do. If, as I expect, you find ours do not I, for one, would like to know why.
Jim Bodkin
Vernon
