What Are We Doing?

Support Measure V (September 19, 2016)

Lance Arnt says he supports the Town of Apple Valley’s Measure W, but gets almost every one of his facts wrong (Supports Measure W, Daily Press, September 19, 2016).

Our water rates in Apple Valley are lower than those from municipal water suppliers in our area, once you take into account all the hidden municipal charges. Thus there are no high prices for water, thus there are no excessive profits. Also, the CPUC has kept a lid on rate increases — that’s a big part of their job, after all. As for reducing water usage, we are in a desert, so we should already be conserving water, but the recent push to conserve came from a state mandate signed by Governor Brown. My personal opinion is that if you really love the desert, you wouldn’t want a green yard to begin with.

As for those on low- and fixed-incomes, roughly 25 percent of Liberty Utilities water users currently take advantage of rate reduction programs that would be illegal under municipal ownership of the water.

Why rent, build, or buy in Apple Valley instead of another local city? Because the cost of your rental, construction, or purchase in other cities includes thousands of dollars for water main installation, which is not the case with Liberty Utilities.

The residents of Apple Valley have already lost control of our town to the ne’er-do-wells in Town hall. Spending hundreds of millions of dollars to buy something we already have isn’t going to fix that. If you think our water issues are bad now, wait until the Town takes control.

We’re supposed to have a better way of life in Apple Valley. Let’s not ruin it by becoming just like other cities. Vote no on Measure W, and yes on Measure V.

— Greg Raven is Co-Chair of Apple Valley Citizens for Government Accountability, and is concerned about quality of life issues.