WATER: City has tapped a gold mine

Ladies and Gentlemen at the city of Coeur d’Alene:

I see in the paper you and the water department are considering raising water rates. Now let me get this straight. You have a commodity that you essentially pay nothing for except the electricity to pump it out of the ground and then sell it to us rate payers for a profit. That is 18,000 of us for approximately $14 per month.

According to my calculations that is about $250,000 per month in income. You say you need the extra money for improved infrastructure, etc. But I know, generally, that in any new development the water, sewer, phone, cable, etc. is paid for by the developer. All you do is inspect the installation and turn on the tap.

So you are trying to tell me and the other rate payers that you cannot live on a quarter of a million dollars a month. I say you need to get someone to investigate where all the money is going and get control of the water department’s expenditures.

MIKE GOSSETT

Coeur d’Alene