RATES: Get the whole story

In response to rates in Coeur d’Alene, as an ex-water resource division manager for a medium size operations I feel your frustration. Your frustration is based upon the lack of information and as an owner of the operations you are entitled to be informed about the operations, and I mean everything (Public Information Act) about what goes into developing water-waste water rates. Keep in mind that rates between jurisdictions are not created equal, in that each system is different in nature (operation expenses, environmental requirements, levels, required license for employees, asset management plan, capital improvements). You get the idea.

So saying “city so and so has lower rates or higher rates” is like comparing apples to oranges. Financially one of the biggest challenges for my division was how to pay for storm water maintenance without a storm water fee, or how to develop a fee that would be fair and equitable to my customers.

However, on the other side of the coin, no one from city manager down to the water department should be using funds from the WRD to support any “special projects” that are not connected with WRD projects. A caveat to that is if funds are used for “other” purposes, then there should be a financial note in the financial audit that funds have been “borrowed” from WRD, for what purpose, scheduled payments back to WRD with interest and payback timeline, outlined by the finance director, or CPA firm. If not then malfeasance could be an issue.

PRESTON KINNE

Coeur d’Alene