WAKE UP, Lantzville!! (submitted by a resident)

On Monday March 27th the District of Lantzville Council had a public meeting to present its Strategic Plan and 2006 Draft Financial Plan. The public was told that preliminary work on Phase1 of the sewer system was going ahead. Now it all may sound very nice that we had received a grant for 2/3 of the initial estimated cost of Phase 1 but we still have to pay the rest of that phase (well over a Million Dollars) as well as for the cost of the future phases.

What does that mean to you as an individual Lantzville tax payer?
For a start you will have to pay for the connection of your house's waste line to the sewer at the road. Pray that you don't have to pump uphill to it or blast through bedrock etc. If not then your cost will probably only be in the $3,000 to $6,000+ range (this is right out of your pocket....not out of what you already pay for taxes). If you have to blast and pump it will be greatly more.

That was the "injury" part of the deal. Now for the "insult" part... The Mayor admitted that the annual sewer user fee will be about $550 per year per household (that's every year!). This is payable on top of the taxes that you already pay every year and will mean the equivalent of a 25% property tax increase for many.

It was suggested to the Council that a Referendum should be held for an expenditure commitment of that magnitude. The Mayor's answer to that question was "No, we don't have to hold one". Shame on you Lantzville Council.

When the Mayor was asked if households would be forced to connect to the sewer system he would not give a definitive answer. He said "that answer will come from Council" later. It is clearly indicated from experiences in other communities that people will be forced to connect regardless of their perfectly working septic tank system that only costs them a couple of hundred dollars every few years to pump. It would be much better to spend money to help people fix the few "failing septic tank systems" and look after our community's waste at home rather then pump it out into the chuck. Sewers aren't magic.

There is still time for individual Council Members to do the right thing. You have to push to put all the cards on the table and hold a Referendum. All of your neighbours, especially Seniors on fixed incomes and young families, deserve the right to vote on this. It is your democratic and moral responsibility to let them.

Jack Roberts