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Editor’s note: Each week we print a selection of anonymous rants and raves submitted by our readers. Keep them under 250 words, free of profanity and personal attacks, and have at it. You need not sign your submission, which you may e-mail to peoplesgazette@gmail.com or mail to Gazette Editor, 7736 N. Toya Vista Road, Payson, AZ 85541. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Gazette staff.
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The other day as I drove by the Star Valley Town Hall I noticed the sprinklers watering their lush green grass. A few days later, while traveling by again, a crew was busy mowing and grooming this beautiful lawn. A feeling of contentment came over me. It was clear Town Hall was sending everyone a strong message that we shouldn’t worry because there was plenty of water. We can all have nice green lawns in Star Valley. Then I got to thinking about what I read in the Roundup about an IGA offered by Payson to Star Valley concerning serious water problems and how Payson, through their generosity, was willing to bail out Star Valley. Of course, the Roundup had the IGA signed sealed and delivered and wanted to “throw some sort of a festival celebrating the imminent signing of the agreement” even before Star Valley had time to examine it. It appeared all that Star Valley had to do was to provide Payson $100,000 for 3 wells and abide by their rules. To help refresh my memory on this subject, I reviewed the minutes from the June 15, 2010 Town Council meeting (Town of Star Valley website). At this meeting, Councilors Hartwell and Leis said Star Valley would “cease to exist” if there was no IGA agreement with Payson and Star Valley received no water from Blue Ridge. Mayor Rappaport views the IGA as an “act of faith” between the towns and Payson is “gifting Star Valley with many benefits”. The Mayor said “we would be foolish to turn the deal down”. Really? OK Council, which way is it? Does Star Valley have enough water or doesn’t it? We now know it would cost millions and probably bankrupt Star Valley to get Blueridge water and yet most councilors are falling all over themselves trying to pass an IGA with Payson because they say without Blue Ridge water Star Valley would “cease to exist.” And while this is all going on, we just keep on watering the grass.
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What happened to this “IGA Purchase Agreement” that was going to take care of all our water problems? That’s all we read about in the Roundup for weeks. The Star Valley Council (except Coon) thought the purchase agreement offered by Payson was the best thing since apple pie. Lately no one wants to even talk about it. Is it because the council is busy cleaning the egg off their face? Councilman Coon apparently was the only person that was willing to look past the propaganda and find out the details. Small details like the “millions” it would cost Star Valley to get a share of Blue Ridge water and deliver it. Its scares me to think that this council would be willing to buy into an IGA that would literally bankrupt Star Valley.
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After hearing stories about the purchase agreement offered by Payson and what it might cost Star Valley, as a tax paying resident of Star Valley, I decided to check out the report put out by Tetra Tech on cost projections and the agreement between Payson and SRP that councilman Coon has been talking about (thank God for the Internet). I’m glad I did! According to Tetra Tech, it would cost Star Valley $621,600 for their share of the cost to construct Payson’s treatment plant. On top of that are costs owed to operate the plant. Payson is paying 6 million to update facilities owned and operated by SRP. Using their formula, Star Valley would owe a half million or so for their share of costs for a portion of Blueridge water. Those two costs alone are over a million bucks. No one seems to know how the water would get from the treatment plant to my tap. Would Star Valley have to construct 4-5 miles of pipeline to deliver the water? Can we afford a couple million to buy out Brooke? Don’t forget, Brooke Utilities CC&N has exclusive rights to delivery water to nearly all of Star Valley. These are not all the costs of getting Blueridge water, but it’s more than I can afford!
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It seems so wrong to me for the Town of Payson to increase the water fees of existing citizens of Payson while easing the requirement of water impact fees for new developments. Why are the citizens who are already living here and have adequate water, have to pay for those who are going to move here? At the Sept. 2 council meeting the council was expected to vote on easing the requirements for new commercial and multi family developments to pay water impact fees. Currently, new developments pay the water impact fees prior to getting authorization to build. In other words, they pay for their impact to the water system. The new changes the council was to vote on will allow commercial and multifamily developers to defer their payment of the water impact fee up to 10 years! So they won't pay for their impact to the water system. The rest of us will. What will happen if the developer goes bankrupt. Will we ever see the money? Guess we know for sure this Council supports the developers over the citizens.
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Whoever wrote the sarcastic reference to the August Doin's rodeo apparently knows nothing about the rodeo or how the participating livestock are cared for. Keep shouting from your "Peta" stool, drinking your "Elitist" Kool-aid and before you know it, thousands of us will have enjoyed the rodeo weekend, lifted a toast to those who have come before us and fought for our freedoms so that any and all opinions about " The Greatest Small Town Rodeo in the World"" can be expressed.
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