Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Emmet City Council Hears Complaints (cont)

's rate is $21 for the same amount.

The way the new system is designed, he said, is in a loop for continual flow. With a three- phase generator in place, the city should be able to avoid catastrophes and keep the pump operating when there is no electricity.

Otwell said the city of Emmet has good drinking water provided by this well.

Booker disagreed saying he had to purchase a water filter for his home because there was too much chlorine in the water, along with some sand and oil.

Hope and Prescott, he said, have better water than Emmet.

If anything happens to the city well, he continued, the people would be in serious trouble, and a second well would be in the same aquifer. If the aquifer dries up, the city's in trouble.

If the people want to vote on the water issue, Otwell said, they can. "This costs, but it's progress. It's better than it was, but it's not perfect."

The old water lines, he said, have outlived their lifespan. The money from the grant and loan (for the water project) will not be wasted and will give the city room to grow.

Residents, Otwell continued, will have the proper sized water lines and good water pressure. If the city can get more customers the rates can be reduced.

Booker said the rates for Emmet on water, sewer and garbage are higher than Hope and Prescott, including Hope's electric rates.

Returning to the topic of the condemnation ordinance, Booker asked if any citizen could register complaints or if it were just up to the council to decide which properties should be condemned.

Otwell said it boils down to a decision by the council, as it is there for the people. "Citizens can have input, but the council didn't intentionally do anything to harm any one person. The ordinance was a starting point."

Booker went back to the topic of needing an emergency plan, with a committee to organize it.

Otwell put Booker in charge of the committee, telling him to get the plans together and bring them before the council for approval.

Bill Watts followed Booker with his complaints about the ordinance. Watts said he had worked to clean up his property, but it was still condemned.

He pointed out part of the property is on city right of way and the city hasn't been keeping it cleaned up. "I don't think the council went about it right," he said. "It should have issued more letters than it did. It looks like there are two sets of rules being used."

Watts said the way the ordinance was passed may be unconstitutional along with being illegal because there are no guidelines in place to determine what constitutes a piece of property being an eyesore.

The city, he added, is not setting a good example, and by sending out five letters at a time, it will take 23 years to get Emmet cleaned up.

Watts' property, since being cleaned up, was removed from the condemnation order.

Next on the list was Bill Arnett, who complained about having no water or electricity when a tree fell on the utility lines recently.

Had a fire occurred at the time, he said, there would have been a serious problem as there is only 2,500 gallons of water on the fire trucks.

He also said the city's right of way in front of his house was unsightly and needed mowing.

Watts voiced a complaint about a culvert the city put in, but failed to remove the old one from his property.

His final complaint was about the inordinate amount of boil orders in the city of Emmet because the water pump isn't closely monitored.

People were told not to use water, Otwell said, but everyone apparently ignored this plea and the problem was worsened as the water pressure fell to 50 pounds.

Ruth Patterson was next in the box, with her complaint about the increased water rates.

She said something can be done about this situation, as the rates were raised to extortion rates.

Otwell again pointed out the rates were set by federal agencies and not the Emmet council.

Patterson said her water bill went up $15 per month with only two people in the household and the same amount of water being used. The two living in the house, she said, aren't there all day.

"There's nothing we can do about the bill unless it's been misread," Otwell said.

It was brought out all sewer rates in the city are different, being based on usage from December through February, and not on any other rating system.

Otwell said there's nothing the city could do about the rates with the exception of abandoning the project, which will not be done.

Johnny Clary was the final citizen to register a complaint. He asked how it was possible Anita Allen could remain in her post as city treasurer though she doesn't live in the city limits.

He asked if the meeting held was legal with her being present.

The only item of city business conducted was to have the wiring checked at the event park so an air conditioning system can be installed.

At this time, only one unit is working and it's not keeping the chuck wagon cool.

Otwell will contact heating and air conditioning contractors for bids on this project.