"What's The Cost?"-From the Summer 2008 Culpeper Clarion
What's The Cost? An article from the Summer 2008 Culpeper Clarion.
Download the entire Culpeper Clarion (pdf format)
A plan for water and sewer is a plan for growth.
What's The Cost?
A major sewer and water proposal raises issues of fiscal responsibility and control over growth. Many have heard the rumblings about a plan to consolidate the Town and County governments, by way of a referendum that voters will face this fall. But few realize what it would entail and why it was proposed. The argument is that Town and County services are being duplicated, leaving citizens to pay more than necessary. But one has to be skeptical given that this proposal is led by developers, who appear to have one goal in mind: the extension of Town water and sewer into County lands, where it would open the way for further development. Some local elected officials seem to think that this effort to do away with the Town just before its 250th birthday will not succeed. But developers are at the head of another plan to expand water and sewer lines which could provoke major growth or, failing that, massive debt. Culpeper County is considering a proposal by Culpeper Utility Partners (CUP) LLC, which is comprised of developers, to build a water and sewer system to serve County growth areas, instead of using the Town's system. At the same time, the Town is upgrading its sewage treatment plant at a size that is meant to accommodate the growth area near the Town. This means that the Town and the County are both building water and sewer infrastructure to serve the same area -- resulting in excess capacity of at least one million gallons, or the equivalent of 5,000 new homes. The cost of the CUP proposal comes to roughly $100 million -- and the only way to recoup that expense is to connect new buildings as customers for the plant. This would put pressure on the County to approve new developments whether or not they're good for the community. But even then, the market may not support as much development as it would take to pay for the plant -- leaving the financial burden to taxpayers.
What Can You Do?
Stay tuned for the next public hearing date on this issue. We will post the meeting date as soon as it is announced. Sign up
for PEC's e-mail action alerts at www.pecva.org.
