Possible W.P.C.A. Dictatorship

A little History about the W.P.C.A. Ordinance.  The proposed ordinance for the WPCA began when the commission voted to give their Administrator Brian Lynch a $10,000.00 raise. A Town Meeting was held and the raise was stopped. WPCA Chairperson May threatened to sue the Town and there is the beginning of the ordinance. 

In January 2011, the Town Council voted down this ordinance for many reasons.  The most important was because it would have given the WPCA autonomy without legislative oversight.  That means the Town Council would have not been able to overrule any actions of the WPCA as far as their budget, expenditures, or employee contracts were concern.

November 2011, our town election happened.  The Democrats took control of the Mayor seat and Town Council.  Just one month later on Dec. 5, 2011, Mayor McDaniel told the WPCA Commission, that he contacted the Town Council to discuss giving the WPCA autonomy. That means he talked to Chairperson Candy Buebendorf, the same Councilor who sat on the original sub-committee that created this ordinance a year ago. Mayor McDaniel was not involved with the ordinance until he was elected and decided in one month after being elected that this was a great idea for the Town.

Montville’s Charter allows for anyone who is a registered voter the right to petition any action of the Town Council.  This is the check and balance of our government.  Giving the WPCA autonomy will take this right away.  NOWHERE IN THE CHARTER DOES IT SAY THAT AN ACTION OF THE WPCA CAN BE PETITIONED!  What this means to rate payers and ultimately taxpayers is a $10,000.00 or even $20,000.00 raise can be done at any time and there is nothing that can be done about it. I wonder who will benefit if the Ordinance is passed? I’m sure it won’t be the Town.

Another thing the WPCA ordinance will do if passed, it will let the Commission set its own budgets for Water and Sewerage without the Council’s final approval.  They have a budget of $5.7 million in just Sewer alone!  The Council is the legislative body of the Town, yet they are willing to delegate their authority to Mr. May, Mr. Lynch and company.  Talk about creating a country within a country. 

Everyone who is a rate payer, tax payer or resident should come to the Public Hearing on Feb. 13. At 6pm. If your voices aren’t heard, we will have a new dictatorship in Montville thanks to the Democrats.  Government should be controlled by the people and not just a select few who just want power.