This year has been tough, financially speaking. Inflation has been like a runaway train and people all over have had to make hard choices, like between paying for medication or paying the power bill.
Now the City of Watonga is also facing some hard decisions. As I understand it, the water supply and delivery system and the sewer treatment plant are shot, worn out, on their last legs. Improvements should have begun a long time ago, before the needs reached crisis level. The state is out of patience and is threatening to levy hefty fines if it isn’t addressed, and soon. Not to mention that no one wants to develop any housing or build a business here if there isn’t adequate infrastructure in place to accommodate the construction or rehab of buildings.
Nobody wants more taxes. Some of our citizens are on fixed incomes and don’t have the option of working more hours to increase that income.
But it appears that the city has few other choices. The city manager is looking for and applying for grants to help finance the necessary improvements. I say necessary because, folks, it is down to that. Push has come to shove. The can that has been kicked down the road can’t be kicked anymore because it is rusted out. The grants and loans will help, but the city must have some skin in the game. To do that it has to pay a portion of the costs and the money isn’t there. I don’t see an option. Do I like it? Not really, but I am willing to do my part to improve this little burg that has become home.
How will it play out? Well, here is my take on it. Let’s say the 1-cent sales tax passes. The city gets its improvements underway. Some brave business owners stick their necks out and revamp or build new buildings. A new business or two moves to town. Those businesses bring in more employees. Maybe they already live here or maybe they come here to live. They need housing so development fires up.
A higher population spreads that penny out to more households. Collections go up. The city repays its obligations faster. That means it looks better to the entities that make loans and give grants, just like you look better to your bank if you pay your car note off early. So the next grant or loan is easier to get and maybe the city doesn’t have to come up with so much match as before. The town grows and thrives.
What if it doesn’t pass? The fines mount up, services are cut, employees could be impacted, because the budget will take a big hit. The town will suffer and find it hard to hold its own, let alone grow. You can’t get blood from a rock.
At the end of the day, we all want services provided by government, albeit some of us want less than others. But, if we want good services, a solid infrastructure and the opportunity for growth, someone has to pay for it. That someone is you and me. It’s not easy and taxes seem to hit the poorest residents the hardest. That is the nature of the beast.
But please, please, if there is someone out there who has a better idea, a solution to this conundrum, let someone know. Call city hall. Call the paper. Talk to someone who can take the idea and develop it.
Don’t just get on social media and kvetch, don’t become a keyboard warrior. This situation is a crossroads for our community, and it is going to take more than words to make the difference.