What ‘they’ won’t tell you, Part 1 (January 4, 2016)
For the new year, the Town of Apple Valley has started posting disinformation in serial form on Facebook. In this series, the Town battles a mysterious and malevolent they,
which is presumably a powerful group or entity against whom only he courageous Town is willing to do battle.
Of course, the only malevolent force here emanates from the Town itself. It started the fight against Apple Valley Ranchos Water Company, it has spent millions to date waging this war, it has adopted a scorched-earth/rule-or-ruin approach that brooks no tolerance for opposing viewpoints or even the possibility of of defeat, and it relentlessly lies about facts that are easily checked.
What they won’t tell you about community ownership of the water system. Part 1. If the Town owned the water system, any water rate increases would be subject to the California Proposition 218 process. Under 218, water rate increases require your consent. Under the current ownership, the California PUC (with appointed members who have no accountability to local voters) make the decisions about rate increases. www.avh2ours.com
Source: TOAV, Facebook, January 4, 2016
After more analysis, we do believe the town can actually lower water rates. That depends on the final purchase price, of course, but if it is reasonable, the town believes it can purchase the system, pay off the debt it will incur to buy the system, and then lower the water rates.
Source: TOAV, Facebook, January 4, 2016
Clearly, the Town of Apple Valley is frightened there will be a vote on this issue, because they’ve cranked up the propaganda machine again.
The Town routinely ignores Prop. 218 restrictions, which is how we got our sewer and trash rate increases. Only an idiot would believe them when they promise to follow the law with water rates.
The Town (now) says Apple Valley Ranchos Water Company is worth $50 million, even though the recent sale to Liberty Utilities shows its starting price is at least twice that … and interest rates are going up. TOAV doesn’t know what it’s buying, it doesn’t know what it’s going to cost, it doesn’t know where the money is coming from, doesn’t know what the money is going to cost, doesn’t know how to run a water utility, doesn’t know who is going to run the system, and has a history of failure where water systems are concerned … yet it can now promise that rates might go down? They must have just gotten some new figures from the innumerate Marc Puckett, the Town’s finance whiz who can’t add, can’t count, and can’t accurately transfer numbers from one page to another in financial documents. Water wasters rejoice!
— Greg Raven is Co-Chair of Apple Valley Citizens for Government Accountability, and is concerned about quality of life issues.