Letter to the Editor: Knickerbocker on Aquarion Vote

The following is a letter to the editor sent to Patch by Bethel First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker.

One of my all-time favorite quotes by Yogi Berra, the former Yankee baseball player/manager/modern philosopher is this:  “When you come to a fork in the road, take it”.  It happens to be the perfect metaphor to describe the choice Bethel voters will make on July 18 department or sell it.

Bethel’s water department is currently struggling to pay off heavy debt, while at the same time invest in repairs and upgrades required to improve water quality.  Bethel’s aging system has run up a debt of over $2 million over the past decade. The Public Utilities Commission has raised rates five times in the past six years, trying to get ahead of the rising costs and pay off the debt.  But despite these increases, we can see today that even this will not be enough to pay off the old debt plus the new borrowing needed to keep the system running.

The first path before us offer more of the same:  More rate increases as we borrow millions more to prop up the system.

The other alternative is to sell.  The sale price of $7.2 million would not only wipe out the $2 million debt, but would also leave us with over $4 million for future capital needs. It would bring our water quality to state standards and begin upgrades to the aging infrastructure.

We need your decision before we commit ourselves to more borrowing.  If the referendum says “yes”, we will proceed with the sale.  If the answer is “no”, we will immediately approach the Board of Finance for the first half-million in new financing to meet strict health regulations that become effective in October, followed by another $4 million in new loans over the next two years.

Please remember to vote this Thursday, July 18th.  I will be voting “YES” for the path that gives us better water and converts millions of dollars of debt into millions of dollars in the bank.

Matthew Knickerbocker, First Selectman