This letter is in response to Jim Martin's letter published 8-13-09, providing erroneous information thereby misleading people, regarding the possible addition of Tippecanoe and/or Chapman Lakes to the Lakeland Regional Sewer District. Since he chose to make accusations against the LRSD and county commissioners, I felt compelled to respond and set the record straight.
In his letter, Jim Martin stated:
1. "Ron Truex seems to be the ringleader in this mess. He has no sense of economic realities and what is just plain fair. He feels this is the time to feed property owners to the wolves running LRSD."
Response: The county commissioners are well aware of the poor economic conditions and no construction would begin in the current economic climate.
At a minimum, construction would not begin for two to three years and it would take an additional two years to complete. There is no mandatory timeline for construction.
2. "The petitions originated with people who have ties to the LRSD. The LRSD wants the additional revenues that would come from annexing the other lakes into its group."
Response: The petitions originated from Tippecanoe and Chapman Lakes property owners who are not a part of the LRSD or Barbee Lakes, and have no direct ties to the LRSD. The LRSD does not want or need Tippecanoe/Chapman revenues for the Barbee Lakes project. What Mr. Martin is implying would be a violation of state law. RSDs are self-funded through user fees, which apply only to properties hooked up to the system within the project area.
You cannot collect revenue from properties outside the district to fund properties inside the district, nor collect revenues from one project within the district to fund another project within the district. The fact is the customer base of the Barbee Lakes is much larger than Tippecanoe or Chapman.
If anything, Tippecanoe and Chapman need the Barbee Lakes, not the reverse.
3. "As to the basic fairness, residents in neither of the proposed areas have had a say as to whether they wish to pursue sewers at this time. They have had no say in who would represent them. They will be at the mercy of what the people of the Barbee Chain want to do."
Response: The petitions were first presented to the commissioners in October 2008. Everyone has had 10 months to speak their mind. And, I believe, the commissioners, including Mr. Truex, have listened. The fact that the petition has been tabled numerous times to allow for more public input and for additional research/evaluation, is evidence that the commissioners are not rushing a decision. The commissioners have listened to property owners, as well as consulted with IDEM, environmental/engineering firms, and others to assess the petitions. If additional areas are added to LRSD, board representation will be provided. County government has the power to do this as they appoint all LRSD board members. The commissioners are to be commended for their thorough evaluation of this matter.
