More AV hypocrisy (January 21, 2017)

Are the members Apple Valley Town leadership just extraordinarily confused, or are they lying because they assume we citizens are too ill-informed to catch them at it? The Daily Press quotes Mayor Scott Nassif as saying, The Office of Ratepayer Advocates objected to Liberty’s recent rate request because it was based on a capital spending plan that Liberty is not meeting. (Liberty Utilities water rates frozen for more than 2 years, Daily Press, January 20, 2017)

Now why would the water professionals at Liberty Utilities not be spending money on capital improvements? Oh, that’s right: Because litigation initiated by the Town of Apple Valley blocks Liberty Utilities from any capital spending! (Condemnation action filed, Daily Press, January 7, 2016.)

If I understand the situation correctly, Liberty Utilities has been asking the Town council for permission to proceed with scheduled maintenance and upgrades during the eminent domain action, but to no avail. That’s why Liberty Utilities subsequently asked the court to allow it to get back on schedule (Liberty Utilities files motion to make water-system improvements, Daily Press, October 7, 2016). The Town opposed this request.

This is the same Town council that falsely stated repeatedly that Liberty Utilities would increase rates by 14% per year, and then criticized Liberty Utilities for a far its much, much smaller rate increase. This is the same Town council that promised to stabilize water rates, and that now criticizes Liberty Utilities for stabilizing water rates.

This is yet more evidence, as if any were needed, that the Town of Apple Valley has no business running a water system or anything else of consequence.

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

Published: Daily Press, January 29, 2017