It seems to me that some of the citizens of Watonga are really on the prod here lately. What I can’t figure out is why.
The keyboard warriors are mad about the increases in water and sewer rates. They loathe the trash service and want to burn the city manager in effigy.
Most of the following information is my opinion. It is an educated opinion, because I researched some numbers, but since I have a column, I get to express my opinion.
Folks are mad because the city manager ‘makes too much money.’ The last numbers I can find – 2022- show the Watonga city manager makes about $79,000. There was a $2,400 raise this year that I know of personally.
Let’s look at Fairview in Major County. It has a similar population to Watonga. The last numbers I can find there – 2021- showed the city manager made $138,320. Granted, he also would jump in a hole and repair a sewage leak, so maybe he was paid for two jobs, manager and public works director.
The city manager at Prague, which also has a similar population to Watonga and Fairview, made $89,308 in 2023. We pay about the going rate for a city manager.
The next question is just who do all the keyboard warriors think is going to handle the dayto- day of city affairs if there is no city manager? The mayor? Should he do that for free? Do you want to hold a vote to regress to mayor-council government?
People kvetch the power and water bills are too high here. Our average for electricity is 11.57 cents per kilowatthour. Prague gets 11.09; Fairview 10.22. The city – probably all cities – adds something to the price it pays for power before we buy it from them, just like gasoline or beef. Businesses, whether cities or grocers, can’t operate for long at a loss, or even at break even. How would it pay its own power bills if it lost money at every turn?
Our water is about $4.50 per 1,000 gallons. Over at Prague, that same 1,000 gallons is going to cost $8.75 and if usage is over 2,000 gallons, it jumps to $9.75. I suspect that includes sewage charges, too, since I didn’t find separate rates for that.
Our sewage charge is about $5.70 per 1,000 gallons. So, we are very equitable with Prague. What makes our rates seem sky-high is that they were in the basement for ages. The town wasn’t covering its own costs. Even without a new treatment plant – that was mandated, not elective – not covering costs is unsustainable.
My point is, our bills aren’t out of line with other communities, or at least with communities that are positioning themselves to grow and move ahead. Our city manager isn’t wildly overpaid.
But there is one thing the keyboard warriors may not be taking into consideration. When a company, business or family is thinking about a new place to call home, they don’t pick up the Yellow Pages anymore. They look on social media. And those who are constantly running down the town and complaining about everything under the sun never stop to think how that makes the area look to outsiders.
Maybe they want to move to our southerly neighbor, 16 miles down the road. That community picks up its own garbage, has a mayorcouncil government and all that goes with it. If that’s desirable, get after it.
But before you hire a moving van, maybe you want to reconsider what it is you’re so mad about that you’re willing to shoot the whole town in the foot and what change you want to see. Then ask for it reasonably and civilly while thinking long term.