11-08-10, A Message From Al Hofmann Concerning The Proposed Water Rate Increases

Dear Councilwoman Friedman, Councilman Weaver, and Mayor Najarian,

Tomorrow evening is the important vote that you will make on whether or not you will be supporting a water rate increase.  I certainly hope that you have carefully weighed the outpouring of rate payers who are opposed to this increase.  It is not the right thing to do in the light of the considerable increases already passed.  As Councilman Drayman pointed out in his comments after the public hearing on this issue, the amount of the transfer from GWP to the General Fund should have considered the loss of revenue to the GWP because of conservation and transferred less to cover the loss of revenue that anyone should have been able to understand.

Our city is in financial trouble along with the county, state, and federal government.  The abyss that we are ready to fall into is the result of out of line salaries and pensions to public servants.  You as a council have approved them over the years, and are therefore party to the situation that we face.  Because of the lack of foresight on the part of our past councils, and that of the city manager, the current shortfall of the GWP budget should not have been exasperated by the continual transfers from the GWP to the General Fund over the past several years. Certainly, the GWP rate payers should not be punished by a rate increase because of the lack of the foresight which we elected you to be stewards of our city funds.

It is very perplexing that all the concerns raised by the "gadflies" over the years literally fell on deaf ears.  Herbert Molano presents data that he has extracted from the city records, and it is summarily dismissed as data that has been misinterpreted and not well understood by the presenter.  When he shows a powerpoint, I have never heard any city official point out specific errors in his presentation.

I too have been one of those pesky gadflies over the years.  I have come to previous budget sessions and pleaded that we start reducing the number of employees that we hire because a public servant hired is a cost borne by the city for the rest of the life of that employee. A couple of years ago in a budget session, I pointed out that the entire Public Works Department could be contracted out.  There are companies that do this, and it is very competitive which results in quality service for the tax dollars spent.  I know this because I was involved with these kind of contracts in my years at JPL.

I was going through some of my archives on another issue, and ran across an oral communication which I made two years ago.  It was on November 18th, 2008.  It is quite lengthy, and I have attached it for your information.  I do hope that you read it.  It clearly spells out that the gadflies were coming for years to point out excessive spending by the city.

Hopefully, you will to what is right for the rate payers and vote down the rate increase tomorrow evening.

Very Sincerely, Albert Hofmann