Bad numbers spawn bad results
To the editor:
A presentation distributed to the city council by the staff in 2004 showed the construction costs of expanding the capacity of the city’s sewer and water plants would be about $206 million. Another document generated in 2007 said the price was now more than $500 million.
I was told that the numbers in the 2004 document were actually from 1999 by city staff. The public should be told why the city council was given a document with obsolete numbers? Why would the staff create a plan to pay off the utility plants and use bad obsolete numbers?
The document shows the payoff schedule for utility plants with the monthly utility rates at $55 and with impact fees at $4,309 yet today the impact fees are at $6,750 and the utility rates average about $82 a month. The increased rates and impact fees are still not enough to pay for those same utility plants. Did the council make decisions to go forward based on those numbers? I don’t know.
The public should be told why we don’t have accountability for bad numbers being used and given to city council? We heard last week let’s not talk about the problem we need solutions. Is that political speak for sweep it under the rug? We need to talk about those problems because without a complete understanding of the problems and accurate numbers we can’t hope to create workable solutions.
Think about the utility rate studies. Assumptions were made that 5,250 hookups a year would take place, an impossible goal. Where were these hookups supposed to come from? The Burton Representative said the information came from city staff. Bad numbers generated bad results. In a past profession we used to say “GIGO”, garbage in garbage out.
Let’s go back to the $110 million dollar PSB that we needed so desperately. Well, we don’t have the $110 million Taj but Cape Coral is still standing. Who brought this forward? It seems we were able to get the job done at 1/3 the cost. Shouldn’t someone be held accountable for that grandiose plan? How about all the money spent on design and public relations?
Look at the budget amendment – Ordinance 55-08 this was supposed to put $134 million in reserves. City council was misguided the night they voted for this ordinance.
Then the recent press releases related to a 92 percent increase in utility rates that misled the public as to why the utility rate increase was necessary. This information was released without the consent or knowledge of the council.
While Mr. Stewart is a very charming individual Cape Coral residents need a city that is run more efficiently. We need a city manager that can run the city using less resources. Just look at the results we get. An arm full of new assessments, taxes and fees along with a possible $185 a month utility bill and violations of bond covenants. It isn’t just me, read the editorials that have appeared recently.
John Sullivan
Cape Coral Minutemen