To: Tim Moffitt, member North Carolina House, NameNorth Carolina State Legislature, Title or Position (optional), Tim Moffitt, Chairman, Title or Position (optional), Name, Title or Position (optional), Mayor-elect, City of Asheville, Title ...
Water Systems State-mandated Takeover
There is an attempt by the NC State Government to take over the Water Systems of the largest cities and consolidate them into the Sewerage Systems. What's the republican agenda behind this?
Why is this important?
Tim Moffitt (R-NC House) is chairing a committee to make it state law that the states larger cities lose control over their water systems and have it incorporated into the Sewerage Departments.
The effort by the state legislature is to simply turn over the ownership without any compensation to the City of Asheville, NC, stating that the system is "owned by it's customers". If that be the case then that can be said about every "utility" in the United States. Does Tim Moffitt think his constituents are so dull as to just take him at his word on matters so greatly affecting the citizens of Asheville/Buncombe County?
The City of Asheville, NC hired an independent firm to study this and it shows the system is worth at least $177 million. Another estimate shows a value of $55 million.
Is the new republican-controlled NC House attempting to eventually privatize these system and then sell them off to private contractors which would net the State a staggering sum into it's coffers? Tim Moffitt (R), chairman of the "Committee" says there is no plan to privatize these systems, but where there is a sum of money that could amount to BILLIONS in the future, you simply cannot trust a politician's "promise".
Rep. Tim Moffitt says this move would save the system $10 million in operating costs. That is a ridiculous statement since his next statement is that there will be no change in personnel. Moving this department to another department and having no personnel changes cannot possibly result in a $10 million savings. The two systems have different requirements in personnel and equipment and cannot be somehow combined - unless water supply and water discharge are one-in-the-same. As I remember, these are handled by different "plumbing".
I'm sure attempted takeovers by state governments on municipalities probably have been tried before. What is the true bottom line loss to local municipalities if the state takes over sewage systems, which "discharge liquids" into rivers in our state? When a system discharge into a body of water is determined by the "state" (which controls and enforces this law) to be handled improperly, it opens the door to the state "taking over" the system, thus taking ownership. At that point, and with a stroke of the pen by deceitful state politicians, the systems, now consolidated, can be sold to private parties, with the simple overused explanation that the private sector can do it "cheaper", and the State is the recipient of a substantial amount of money, as I said before, Billions.
It would take several years to accomplish these manipulations since the legislature first has to "capture" the water systems and roll them into a system that they can takeover, but the outcome of recent elections now shift control of the NC House to the republicans for the first time in twenty years and they certainly have no intention of losing it next election.
The effort by the state legislature is to simply turn over the ownership without any compensation to the City of Asheville, NC, stating that the system is "owned by it's customers". If that be the case then that can be said about every "utility" in the United States. Does Tim Moffitt think his constituents are so dull as to just take him at his word on matters so greatly affecting the citizens of Asheville/Buncombe County?
The City of Asheville, NC hired an independent firm to study this and it shows the system is worth at least $177 million. Another estimate shows a value of $55 million.
Is the new republican-controlled NC House attempting to eventually privatize these system and then sell them off to private contractors which would net the State a staggering sum into it's coffers? Tim Moffitt (R), chairman of the "Committee" says there is no plan to privatize these systems, but where there is a sum of money that could amount to BILLIONS in the future, you simply cannot trust a politician's "promise".
Rep. Tim Moffitt says this move would save the system $10 million in operating costs. That is a ridiculous statement since his next statement is that there will be no change in personnel. Moving this department to another department and having no personnel changes cannot possibly result in a $10 million savings. The two systems have different requirements in personnel and equipment and cannot be somehow combined - unless water supply and water discharge are one-in-the-same. As I remember, these are handled by different "plumbing".
I'm sure attempted takeovers by state governments on municipalities probably have been tried before. What is the true bottom line loss to local municipalities if the state takes over sewage systems, which "discharge liquids" into rivers in our state? When a system discharge into a body of water is determined by the "state" (which controls and enforces this law) to be handled improperly, it opens the door to the state "taking over" the system, thus taking ownership. At that point, and with a stroke of the pen by deceitful state politicians, the systems, now consolidated, can be sold to private parties, with the simple overused explanation that the private sector can do it "cheaper", and the State is the recipient of a substantial amount of money, as I said before, Billions.
It would take several years to accomplish these manipulations since the legislature first has to "capture" the water systems and roll them into a system that they can takeover, but the outcome of recent elections now shift control of the NC House to the republicans for the first time in twenty years and they certainly have no intention of losing it next election.