[Durham INC] Fwd: Defend local control of water! Oppose House Bill 488

Mon Apr 8 13:21:58 EDT 2013

Please see below. This is really scary stuff...Please take a few moments to write your legislator with your concerns/thoughts about this bill and the consequent removal of local control of our water supply.
Melissa (Rooney)

Received: Monday, 8 April, 2013, 1:06 PM

This is an awful bill, and sets a terrible precedent. If this legal theory holds, Durham's well-managed and well-planned water supply could be stolen by transferred to a regional authority.
Here is a little background:
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013303310048&nclick_check=1

Please write to your legislator
http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/counties/counties.pl?county=Durham
and let him or her know what a bad idea this is.

Begin forwarded message:
From: Clean Water for NC <katie at cwfnc.org>
Subject: Defend local control of water! Oppose House Bill 488
Date: April 8, 2013 12:46:10 PM EDTReply-To: Clean Water for NC <katie at cwfnc.org>

Announcements from Clean Water for North CarolinaView this email in your browserOppose H488 - Defend Local Control of WaterCan you take action to keep water and decision-making local? Call your state representative in their home office TODAY and ask them to Oppose H488 - "Reorganization of Public Utilities," a precedent-setting bill to remove local control of water!

Background: H488 would transfer the City of Asheville's water system to a regional authority, against the will of local governments and water customers! The bill gives the City NO compensation for the system, and has very WEAK protections against privatization. If it passes, H488 could set a precedent for lawmakers to take away local control of water from other municipalities throughout the state without local input.

Talking points to mention to your representative:It’s against the will of local residents - 86% of Asheville voters opposed the merger in November.It sets a precedent of legislative interference in local government decisions.Local communities should decide how to meet the water/wastewater needs of a local area for the benefit of city taxpayers and ratepayers, and how to pay for those investments, with plenty of public input. YOUR district could be next!It could affect the ability of cities statewide to invest in infrastructure. Why invest in infrastructure with the the legislature could take assets without payment? This comes at a time when we already have massive unfunded infrastructure needs in North Carolina.It's just bad policy.  Intrusive legislative decisions impacting individual water/wastewater systems can hurt customer rates, damage the economic vitality of NC's public utilities, and are no substitute for public engagement and local
 cooperation to meet water and wastewater needs in ways that serve the public interest.Take Action Now!
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