EDITORS NOTEBOOK : Reasons for sales tax
Posted on Thursday, September 4, 2008
The 1-cent sales tax election on Sept. 9 for Elkins citizens is an election this city cannot afford to lose.
What is at stake is not only improving the city's water line but having clean drinking water, having better water pressure and saving money on line repairs. But it's also personal for each one of us.
Those of you with small children think about the water they drink, the water put into babies' water bottles -- clean drinking water is a necessity. It's a necessity for all of us.
The line currently in place that needs to be replaces is 40 years old an 8-inch cast iron line that is worn out and has to be repaired as it breaks down. This is not good for the city or its citizens.
There are leaking manholes that also need to be repaired. All these leaks cost all of us.
A 1-cent tax is so small a thing that most of us won't even realize it is there. It is only one dime on $ 100 dollars worth of merchandise.
Elkins is one of the few cities with a 1-cent sales tax in effect. Adding another penny won't break any of us. And the best thing about it is all those people who live outside the city limits who stop for gas, buy a burger at Sonic or shop at Harp's will also be helping pay for the new 14-inch line.
Technology has provided cities with something much better than cast iron today. The water line will be replaced with PVC -- a product that will last much longer and won't rust and break apart as the old line has done.
Water is almost as important as the air we breathe; without it we cannot live. Clean water is too important to ignore. To vote against this initiative would be to vote against clean water for the city of Elkins.
We don't want boil orders because our water has been contaminated. That may happen if we don't get this line replaced and replaced as soon as possible.
The first phase consists of replacing the main water line from the original water tank near Lake Sequoia and run from Harris Community Road to Harris Drive. The line that runs through there and under the Middle Fork of the White River is most important. The rest of the line will need to be replaced too, but at a later date. In time the city of Elkins will have all new main water lines and that is a good thing for those of us living here now and for future generations.
Then there's also the plans the state has to widen Arkansas 16. When that happens, the state will say the lines have to be moved. It could cost more at that time. The time to move the lines is when the new main line is replaced.
The time to update Elkins main water line is now before more breaks occur and eventually the water becomes contaminated and we're issued a boil order.
The time to bring our city up to 21 st Century standard when it comes to assuring ourselves and our children and grandchildren clean water is now.
If we don't pass this tax and bond initiative, our water utility rates will be raised. The line has to be replaced. There isn't any choice. The 1-cent sales tax is the best way to pay for the system. Even at a time of more economic hardship, this isn't going to break any of us. It won't hurt nearly as much as having our water bills go up more than $ 30 a month.
The bond initiative must be passed as well, so the city can obtain the funds to replace the water line. The 1-cent sales tax will pay the bond off.
Again, let's pass this tax so that others who shop here can help us pay for the water line that we will benefit from because of the assurance of clean water for years to come.
It's time to come together and do this for our city.
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Pat Harris is managing editor of the White River Valley News.
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