Is Town of Apple Valley looking to make low water users pay for high water users? (October 27, 2015)

Apple Valley, CA — Last week in the Daily Press, there was a very thoughtful letter to the editor by a man named Robert Faulks.

In it, he brings up the problem with the savings the Town keeps bringing up as a positive, and how it would actually hurt taxpayers:

I am frugal with my water usage but maybe someone else isn’t. By having Bob or Mary Jane charge her time to the general budget (or even another department) while supplying labor free to the water department, that decreases the operation costs of water while increasing my costs in taxes to pay for his or her time.

That is a very good point, and what it would mean is that high water users would benefit from others tax dollars, thereby getting lower water rates at some point in the future (after the Town has paid off the millions in bond debt).

What makes us believe that the Town wants low water users to subsidize who are using a lot, is that this is who is making such a big stink about drought surcharges and water rates from Apple Valley Ranchos.

Case in point — at tonight’s Town Council meeting, it is know that folks who have gotten drought surcharges will be out in force to complain to the Town Council.

Apple Valley Ranchos Water has said that the people who use a lot of water, are also the ones who are getting drought surcharges.

The ones who aren’t using a lot of water, are not.

Makes enough sense, but the outcome that high water users want is for the Town to some day lower their bills? That would mean that for their bills to lower, someone would have to pay for their use — those who don’t use enough water.

It will be interesting to see what the Town Council has to say to people, especially since they wouldn’t be able to lower rates anyways for anybody.

Source: D. Murphy, TheLibertyPoint.com