PEA RIDGE — In the beginning, Gateway public water was formed by local volunteers who did all the leg work at their expense to get funds needed for the water system for Gateway and surrounding areas. For 31 years, board members met monthly at City Hall to conduct business and keep water rates as low as possible. These peopled donated their time and gas to meet. Unlike City Council members, they are not paid $100 each for attendance.
No water board members are paid. The board voted not to pass along a $1.50 Two Ton surcharge, saving water users around $115 per month, when it earns around $27,600. The water system is owned by its users who can attend a meeting, run for board seats, or vote for board members.
However, the City Council recently voted to raise the rent on part of City Hallfrom $125 a month to $600.
For that fee, board members meet once a month, the water manager does the billing three or four days a month, and there is a payment drop box in the door. Maybe I am wrong.
Maybe 145 Gateway Town water users want to pay additional fees for their water to offset the additional cost. But, I don’t!
It is a sad day when you have to overpay the people you are helping.
P.S. There are 146 users in the town of Gateway; 620 in surrounding areas.
ANDREW J. TILLMAN
Newly-annexed Gateway citizen
Follow-up complaint
To follow up on my last complaint, here is a fun fact. Act 7 U.S.C. Bill 1926 (b) was not enacted for purposes of fire protection.
It was enacted to provide a means for securing a safeand adequate supply of running household water and fire hydrants for rural water systems, as for flushing lines. What if Gateway Public Water removed fire hydrants in the town of Gateway from fire protection use because of the effect on the water of 620 water users not in Gateway? The result would be a drop in pressure, dingy water, or cost of maintenance for fire protection since the primary use is for flushing lines and using sites that didn’t influence water pressure or water quality. That leaves four sites: the tanks on Skyline Road, Indian Creek Road, Corinth Road and one on Robert Loop.
Guess what? They are all out of Gateway city limits.
Would this hamper fire departments in putting out fires? Would it raise ISO rating for the Town of Gateway? Would it raise insurance rates for the Town of Gateway? Who knows, but it is something to thinkabout when adding an additional cost of $5,700 annually, or $57,000 over the next 10 years.
As it stands now, Gateway Public Water Authority, an Arkansas not-for-profit, spent a few thousand dollars this year on fire hydrants for fire protection. They didn’t have to. Still, it worked for its purpose of flushing lines. All fire departments get their water free of charge. So why mess up the system? The Gateway City Council and mayor need to come up with a fair rate for both parties, not add a $57,000 operating cost over the next 10 years on your water system.
Maybe those experts on City Council or the mayor can answer your questions, but probably not since only one has ever been to a water board meeting in the last 12 years.
ANDREW J. TILLMAN
Gateway, Ark.
Opinion, Pages 4 on 05/16/2012