Baddourah: Don’t raise Columbia water, sewer rates while money is being diverted

The obvious consequence of years of raids on Columbia’s water and sewer maintenance fund is a crumbling water and sewer infrastructure.

But the more fundamental problem is that city officials have become too accustomed to the annual transfer of millions of dollars into the general fund. No matter that it’s an irresponsible policy, or that the public generally opposes it. Some will search for any reason to keep this practice in place.

That mindset was on full display during City Council’s recent discussion of water and sewer rates.

We’d been presented two scenarios: a 5.8 percent increase and a 12.1 percent increase. Under both, the city would move $4 million from the water and sewer maintenance fund to the general fund.

I reiterated my position that we can’t justify making people pay more until we show better stewardship of existing funds.

Councilwoman Leona Plaugh then proposed a third scenario: a smaller rate increase made possible by eliminating the $4 million transfer. That $4 million would instead go toward repairs.

It was simply a third option. What could be wrong with allowing council to consider another alternative?

It wasn’t surprising that Mayor Steve Benjamin led the effort to defeat her motion. But what was baffling was how vehemently he opposed it. “That’s not leadership,” he told Ms. Plaugh, ignoring her obvious leadership in making the proposal.

Those against ending the raids have always characterized such a move as a “budget cut.” Indeed, the mayor (and others) argued that canceling the $4 million transfer would create a harmful budget shortfall. And he used that time-honored scare tactic, claiming the money would come out of the police budget.

But there are holes in that argument. For one, the city manager has asked department heads to reduce their budgets by 7 percent. That’s an $8 million cut. If eliminating the $4 million transfer means the sky will fall, why is an $8 million reduction on the table?

Also, we’ve had five consecutive budget surpluses — including a $4.1 million surplus last year.

While I’d never want to overstate the ease with which city government’s belt can be tightened, a review of overall spending would turn up millions of dollars in expenditures that are much less essential than our water and sewer system. One example: payments on a new baseball stadium.

It’s just difficult for me to accept that a wonderful city such as ours — with its abundant resources and unlimited potential — can’t meet our most fundamental obligations.

This issue exposes a remarkable double standard: Recall the Bull Street deal, in which the mayor haphazardly rushed the approval of a contract that left Columbians on the hook for a whopping $71 million. That deal was pushed through over objections from citizens, and even the city’s attorneys, who rightly felt we should first decide how we’d pay for our part.

“We can do it,” the mayor said then. Never mind the details.

How did that “do-it-at-all-costs” attitude so quickly morph into a “can’t-do” mentality?

The truth, I suspect, is that we can end this misguided practice if we try — which is exactly why we were denied the opportunity to try. Some simply don’t want to kick this habit.

Frankly, our priorities are skewed. Grand pursuits such as Bull Street and the new stadium seem to take precedence over essential services that directly impact people’s quality of life.

Giving our citizens the kind of government they deserve requires some fundamental changes — including a renewed commitment to the notion of setting priorities. We must meet our pressing needs first, before pet projects or luxuries.

It’s time to set aside the excuses and fix our water and sewer problems. At the very least, we owe it to the public to try. No one is well-served by a “can’t-do” attitude, especially when it comes to the most basic of city services.

This story was originally published April 11, 2015 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Baddourah: Don’t raise Columbia water, sewer rates while money is being diverted."