The Durango City Council’s decision to approve large water and sewer rate hikes was based on a flawed premise, not true financial scarcity (Herald, Nov. 21). The evidence points to a management issue, not a money issue.
The city’s Water Fund has approximately $15 million in fund balance (cash reserves), which is far above city staff’s recommended reserve. Had the city implemented small annual increases in recent years, it would have only worsened the problem of over-collection without fixing the core issue: a lack of management. The problem in completing critical infrastructure projects is not a lack of money, but a failure to execute.
The city presented an unrealistic, “Chicken Little” doom-and-gloom scenario to justify the hike, mentioning an $800 million replacement cost. But the city didn’t acknowledge the problem of consistently failing to complete the work it already budgeted for. The inability to complete projects are compounded by the high turnover of department heads across many city departments, which is a clear symptom of the underlying management problems that prevent efficient project completion.
Instead of basing decisions on actual data and demanding the city manager complete projects on time, Councilor Dave Woodruff read a prepared statement to deflect the real consequences of his vote. This is now a common situation where city councilors are told what to say by their appointees, rather than council providing direction.
Woodruff’s support of utility rate increase and failure to address the underlying issue of businesses paying more than their fair share will hurt businesses in Durango next year.
John Simpson
Durango
