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REGULAR MEETING NOVEMBER 25, 2013
<br /> stuff but the sewage alone was $45.70. Now, if you take or by the way I worked at the Water
<br /> Works for that must have been 14, 15 years ago, and I `m not trying to point fingers at anybody,
<br /> but there is a lot of money wasted, I think we should give somebody in there to monitor the
<br /> money that is going into these projects and see all the money that is wasted. The other thing is in
<br /> the summer time I just moved back to South Bend two (2) years ago my first water bill was $600
<br /> some dollars and I tried to explain to the people downtown that there must be some kind of
<br /> mistake. Downtown they said it must be a leak, somewhere and that what was causing the bill to
<br /> be so high. Well my sprinkling guy came out and checked it out, the city, Water Works came
<br /> out and checked the meter and everything and put new meters in there, I tried to explain to them,
<br /> did you ever get something that was new and you got problems with it? Well, it so happens that
<br /> the meter was messed up, I mean it was ridiculous, I mean finally, they were threatening to
<br /> charge me delinquent fees and all the other things,but we finally got that straightened out. But
<br /> the thing is you know it's ridiculous that you have to raise these rates so much when so many
<br /> things are being wasted, you know like I said you know $45.70 that's a good hunk of money for
<br /> a retired person to be paying. Like I said every water bill that must be like a standard rate and
<br /> the thing is it is just my wife and I in the house. So, it can't be that much sewage going down
<br /> there,but$45.70 must be a standard rate, is that right? I don't know? Every time I go down to
<br /> the Water Works I just want to strangle somebody because they don't want to understand
<br /> anything,they don't want to say that might be our mistake. Everything is the customer,the
<br /> customer, well, every time I had the meter people out there, or the sprinkling company comes
<br /> out, there are no leaks, I don't know where all this water is going to,but I know we are not using
<br /> it, and yet I'm still being charged for it. I think like in the summer time my water bill is higher
<br /> than my electric and my gas bill combined. I mean to me that is a little ridiculous. That's all I
<br /> have to say.
<br /> Chuck Kureth, 51775 Villager Parkway, Granger, Indiana: That is actually Clay Township,
<br /> between Hickory and Ironwood north of Cleveland and we are on sewer. I represent the Village
<br /> of Farmington Homeowners Association. We don't have an official position on this; I can tell
<br /> you that the general tenor is not favorable. We haven't taken an official position; we do have a
<br /> request though. Right now we, if there is a problem with the water line and it has to be fixed, we
<br /> are paying insurance, for insurance to cover that. We don't have the same privilege with the
<br /> sewer line. And if the rates are going to be raised we think that it's only fair that we also get
<br /> access to the sewer insurance. We're not sure how that process works, we have heard a couple
<br /> of different stories, and the one most recent one was that it requires an ordinance by the City
<br /> Council to include those areas outside of the boundaries of South Bend. It is our understanding
<br /> that inside the boundaries of South Bend, that insurance is available. We would like to have that
<br /> available because most of the people in the Villas are retired and an assessment for a sewer
<br /> repair would be very burdensome to them. Thank you.
<br /> Dave Stickle, 1308 Mishawaka Avenue, South Bend, Indiana: I have heard a lot of talk all
<br /> evening about money and about purification, and in the Mayor's report to the City, I heard the
<br /> word green technologies, alternatives, I also have heard a lot about building more tanks, larger
<br /> tanks, so on and so forth, for storage. I know for a fact that methane capture is the future for
<br /> alternative fuels. Now there has been no alternatives offered,the only thing that I have heard is
<br /> building and money. I haven't heard and maybe I've missed it and maybe it's part of a
<br /> presentation where I did not see it. But I haven't seen any alternatives to possibly add to this
<br /> situation at all. The city allocated quite a bit of money I understand to convert their cars and
<br /> some of their vehicles to LP. Methane capture can now be used for fuel, so I am just sort of
<br /> putting that as a question. I have seen no other presentation except the cost, and need for
<br /> purification. But over the top of all purification systems I am just going to say it in layman's
<br /> terms a"tent"you can draw off of that and some of that methane can be used in different areas.
<br /> So I just ask the question have any of those resources been considered in this equation.
<br /> Christopher Huff, 1831 College, South Bend, Indiana: I am neither speaking in favor nor in
<br /> opposition at this point. I do have several questions that I do not believe were addressed at all
<br /> during the presentations and I would like to hear some answers to them. #1 It was my
<br /> understanding that we are only using 2007 net present value dollars to project 22 years into the
<br /> future. Did I miss something along that line, or are all the costs in 22 years into the future up
<br /> until the year 2029 based on 2007 costs, if that is the case, then this is very, very disingenuous.
<br /> Hopefully I am wrong. #2 The rate changes are to pay for money, are these to be bonds, what
<br /> type of bonds, revenue, general obligation,hybrid, if they are bonds of some sort or another,
<br /> what are the anticipated rates, the terms and what are the basic tranches. How many bonds are
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