The 2008 Water department audit is very telling on many levels. Ironically, it was the last full audit of the water department. I found the highlighted paragraph below and the expenditures interesting;
We paid for water upgrades using CIP money. Why? Because that is what that money is for INFRASTRUCTURE! Something else you don’t see in this paragraph is any mention of violating state or federal laws by doing this. Why? BECAUSE IT IS NOT ILLEGAL! This sudden shift to pay for upgrades using fee money IMO is an attempt to shift sales tax dollars to help pay down a new Events Center bond. I don’t know about you, but the timing couldn’t be more suspect. While the mayor has been preaching about NO NEW TAXES to pay for a new EC, he fails to mention the fee increases, not just in water and sewer but also in Parks and Rec, and other departments. While he talks about prudence, he is quickly becoming one of the biggest proponents of tax increases of any mayor we have seen in the recent past. I’m sorry mayor, but any fee paid to a governmental agency is something I call a TAX. Water rate increases IS a tax increase.