Recently,
Janice Kaspersen wrote the blog “Show Me the Money, If you Can Find
It.”
It’s
45 days later, and I think it applies more than ever. The federal government is
bailing out the housing industry and guaranteeing banks financial support. It
doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the economy has all but come
to halt. All you have to do is go to your busiest local fast food restaurant;
you will not stand in line to wait to be served. Why? No jobs, high fuel costs,
and the list goes on.
What
indicators will give you heartburn in the near future? The holiday season will
soon be upon us. Retail is expected to take a beating this year. Sale tax
revenue will shrink, and local government budgets will have to be cut. Several
cities and counties in our state, Georgia, have borrowed funds until taxes start
coming into the coffers. Several cities have already laid off personnel or
furloughed staff. Construction projects for local water and stormwater programs
have been postponed.
The
City of Roswell establishes a stormwater utility but does not create an
ordinance for the rates to be established. The reason? The condition of the
economy. Cobb County postpones establishing a stormwater utility. Gwinnett
County halts major water improvement projects due to the lack of revenue coming
in.
I
do not think anyone in the regulatory community would have been directed to put
water-quality goals on hold due to the economy. Water permits, wastewater
permits, and stormwater requirements are continuously being modified to meet the
goals of the Clean Water Act. I ask you, are any of your boards or commissions
jumping through hoops to raise rates or create stormwater utilities to meet
these requirements? My guess is no! I would conjecture that most managers
wanting to keep their jobs have not even entertained the rate increases.
You
probably are having a hard enough time trying to convince the powers to be that
the cost of maintaining your permits is going up. In the public works arena, we
keep talking about the GAP in funding and capital improvements and our failing
infrastructure. We are only getting further behind in closing this GAP. When we
rebound from this—and we will—how far behind will we be? Most programs will be
scrutinized for spending funds, and budgets will be status quo. Managers will
have to make hard decisions, and for the most part, the GAP will get even
bigger.
I
have a solution! Let’s organize our programs and ask Congress to bail us out so
we, too, can continue to do business and meet the additional conditions of our
permits. Well, it was just a thought. What’s yours?