Emmaus will not sell water system to private company

By CORRINE DURDOCK
cdurdock@tnonline.com

Some 60 people packed Emmaus Borough Council Chambers Sept. 6 and listened patiently to 17 residents as they made appeals to Council, some 11 of them regarding the proposed sale of Emmaus' water system.(more)

Council eliminates water system sale to LCA as an option

By CORRINE DURDOCK
cdurdock@tnonline.com

Continuing to whittle down the options being considered by the Water Committee on its study of Emmaus' water and sewer system, Emmaus Council Monday night voted to eliminate the option of selling the water system to the Lehigh County Authority.
Council had previously eliminated a sale of the water system to private companies as an option.
This leaves three options, going to the Public Utility Commission for a rate increase, abandonment of services to outside clients, or establishing an Emmaus Utility Authority, still to be considered in order to fund the maintenance and repair costs of the system which staff have said will possibly cost in the millions over a 10-year period. The system's revenues have not covered the costs adequately over the past few years, said officials.
Councilwoman Susan Schmidt was reluctant to consider Councilman Brent Labenberg's motion of taking a sale to LCA off the table in Councilman Roger Whitcomb's absence. Schmidt said Whitcomb was a member of the Water Committee and she believes in following the committee process, which council has historically followed.
Council President Craig Neely said he also is a “stickler for process,” but “it is appropriate to move in this case without the process....we won't offend Roger...this is not blindsiding...since Roger knows how I stand on this issue.”
Councilwoman Joyce Marin and Schmidt voted in opposition to the motion to eliminate the sale to LCA. Councilmen Dennis Gouldy, Neely, Labenberg and Councilwoman Lee Ann Gilbert supported the motion. Whitcomb was absent.
The Water Committee will meet Sept. 21, 10 a.m. to discuss the other options.

Creating a better world

From The Morning Call -- September 18, 2005

It seems that everywhere one looked this summer, there were signs and warnings that a new world order, a neo-liberal ideology that puts private corporations in charge, was incumbent. (more)

EFLOW Goals and Important Dates

Goals:
1) Get Emmaus residents appointed to serve on a subcommittee or Ad-hoc
committee to the Emmaus Borough’s Water Committee.

2) Get a thorough written analysis made public of the Emmaus Water and
Sewage System, that include all the options, time line & rate increases.

3) Lobby State Senators & Representatives to get the 10 day window
changed to 30 days for a public referendum in order to stop any future sale
of Emmaus water.

Dates:
Please mark your calendars and join us for our next EFLOW meeting on October
4th at 7:00pm at St Johns Lutheran Church at 5th & Chestnut Str in Emmaus.
We will have some very information to share with the public.

Also the
Next Emmaus Water Committee Meeting: Wednesday, September 21, 10:00 a.m. at
Borough Hall.

And finally if you can join us on Monday September 19th at 7:00pm for the
next regularly scheduled Emmaus Council meeting at Borough Hall 28 S 4th Str.

Thank you all for the continued support.

Emmaus will keep its water system

September 7, 2005
By Randy Kraft / Of The Morning Call
Emmaus won't sell its water system to a private water company. Borough Council voted 6-0 Tuesday to take that ''off the table'' as an option for the future of its system, primarily because private companies charge more than four times what the community's...

For sale by owner: Public water

September 5, 2005
By Romy Varghese / Of The Morning Call

In July, Emmaus officials floated the idea of selling the borough's aging water system to a private company to avoid spending millions on upgrades. Since then, residents have stormed council meetings to protest putting a public resource in corporate...(more)

Let's explore all options with Emmaus water system problems

Many of us have taken our inexpensive water use for granted until the recent community discussions about the Borough of Emmaus water system problems.

These discussions served to educate us about how our water arrives at our homes and why we are still paying such a low rate after so many years.

We also learned that our municipal water system needs upgrading and that there are at least three options to make that happen including maintaining the system as is with a rate hike to cover the costs, sell to the LCA, or sell to a large, private company.

I have read numerous articles about the latter and I have yet to find any information that makes me want to sell our water rights to a private firm and I have yet to hear anyone present a convincing argument for this type of sale or bring forth information about communities that have significantly benefited from a private sale.

So, let"s put that option on the shelf and move forward with serious consideration about making the current system work while maintaining local control or selling it to the LCA as soon as possible.

Mike Waddell

Emmaus

Find ways to retain Emmaus water system

The members of Emmaus Borough Council were elected to work for, and with, the people of the borough, and for the most part, they are doing a good job. There is, however, a controversy, which has put many into a panic: the privatization of our water system.

Plenty was said at the public meeting on Aug. 8 about the advantages of keeping our water system under the same control. In response to the view of several speakers, the president of council said there is no back-door deal to sell our water system, and there is no reason to rush into a decision that could have disastrous consequences. I certainly appreciate the consideration and respect given to this serious concern.

So, it is important to continue finding ways to come up with the alleged $7 million in the next 10 years to keep our water system operating in the excellent fashion in which it is running now. Maybe we could look into federal and state grants since we, individually and collectively, contribute so generously to their coffers. Maybe we can talk about a small increase in the water fee, since it is overdue anyway. Let's do whatever it takes to keep our precious water for generations to come under the same control, which has provided us with the best water around at the most reasonable price.

Bill Racines

Emmaus

Candidates should give positions on water system

On Aug. 8, Emmaus Borough Council heard citizens' concerns about the proposed privatization of the water system. The residents who attended and spoke acted out of trust in their local government — trust in the elected officials' sincere desire to respect and represent their need to maintain local control of the water system. Such trust should be reciprocated.

By Oct. 1, each member of the current borough council, as well as each candidate running for council in November, should announce the solution to the water system dilemma that he or she intends to support. Each should also include his or her rationale. The statements need to be unambiguous, clear and individual. If their reasons are sound, the candidates and board members may trust the Emmaus voters to make responsible choices.

William and Beverly Springer

Emmaus