This bill affects all residents of cities and towns in North Carolina as it sets a precedent for the state legislature to take assets from those cities and towns without compensation and without reasonable cause.
This bill does not mention any city by name, but it is intentionally targeted to take the city of Asheville's water system and turn it over to a Metropolitan Sewerage District. The water system is worth some two billion dollars to the city of Asheville and its citizens. And the citizens of Asheville have voted overwhelmingly in opposition to this move.
Go here to read about this bill and what it does and why it is important that we oppose it. Also on that page are simple instructions for writing your representatives in Raleigh to voice your opposition. There are also several examples of talking points to include in your message.
You can read the bill here.
Here is the message to our legislators that I've just sent ...
I am writing in opposition to HB 488, a bill that would transfer ownership and operation of the City of Asheville's water system to a Metropolitan Sewerage District.
- The citizens of Asheville have voted overwhelmingly against this transfer; it is their desire that their city maintain ownership and control of their water system.
- There is no wrong that this bill addresses.
- There is no problem that this bill fixes.
- The City of Asheville's water system is a valuable asset of the citizens of Asheville; it is worth approximately $2 Billion dollars. Yet the bill does not provide compensation to the citizens of Asheville or the City of Asheville in return for the transfer of ownership.
- The bill has the appearance of the state legislature unnecessarily interfering with the proper self governance of cities and towns and their citizens. It unnecessarily causes problems with their budgeting, their revenue funding, their borrowing, their staffing, etc.; and it sets a precedent that other cities and towns in our state will and have objected to.
I oppose this bill as entirely unnecessary, and altogether unwanted by the citizens of Asheville.
Thank you for your consideration of this matter.
David Houck
Candler, NC
Senate district 48
House district 116
If you live in North Carolina, please consider writing your representatives; and please consider passing on the link to the
Scrutiny Hooligans page cited above.
Thanks,
David