Dear Editor;
Earlier this year I wrote a letter that went out to the village residents to let them know that I was running for trustee. That was a difficult letter for me to write in so many ways. The easiest part was actually typing the letter itself. The most difficult part was pressing the “send” button.
It was hard to send the letter because it meant that I was committing to something that would require my attention and action. I questioned myself a lot before I pressed the button. I kept asking myself, “Why would I purposely bring one more thing into my life that requires responsible thought and action”.
I already have a full plate. But I kept reminding myself that I wanted to get involved as that is the best way for me to truly understand the issues that our village is faced with. So, I sent the letter. I’m glad that I did. I am way outside my comfort zone, but that’s where we experience and learn the most in life.
I don’t like going door to door asking for signatures and votes. I don’t like putting signs in yards and writing letters to the public. Self-promotion is one of the hardest things for me in life.
If we don’t challenge ourselves, then we should not expect progress. We need to work together to help bring our village up to date in terms of how it operates and what cost impact that has on the taxpayers and residents.
I love the village of Owego, but we have room to improve in a lot of areas. Some of these improvements might seem minor while others will be much more challenging. No matter the issue, we should be willing to look at the facts, develop some worthy options and then decide as a community which solution best fits our needs.
One issue that we need to work on together is affordability. Whether or not you want to get involved in any of the other issues, this is one that we all care about. Our taxes pay for the village operations. We need to understand where and how our tax money is being spent.
The number of tax contributing properties has been declining, mostly due to the aftermath of the last flood. Less people contributing tax money to meet an unchanged budget means our individual tax bills will go up. This is where the statement “stop the bleeding” is probably appropriate.
We cannot afford to blindly pay for projects and services without thoroughly understanding the value that they bring to the village.
With cost in mind, the Equivalent Dwelling Unit is another topic that we can’t ignore. When sewer billing changed to the current Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU) method, my bill didn’t change enough to really catch my attention. But after I had some conversations with people who were upset by the sharp increase in their bill, I started to think. Then I went and found some people that know far more about sewer billing than I do.
Once I found them, I did a lot more listening than I did talking. After that, I read.
I rarely read for pleasure, but I do read a lot everyday. I am most motivated to read when I want to find facts. One of the first places I started reading was at the village website. The EDU categories can be found here. It is called “Chapter 166 – Appendix A”. I’ll list below how to get to this information.
EDU basically means that each single-family residence in the village is billed the same for their sewer service, regardless of the number of occupants. A single person living alone pays the same as my family of three, or the same as any family of any size living under the same roof in the village. One EDU costs $100 per quarter, plus $4.38 additional to cover the “Capital Improvement Fee”.
A landlord pays the same $104.38 for each unit they own. They still pay this fee even if there is no one occupying a unit. If you rent, this means that your landlord is probably paying far too much for sewer service.
If you do visit the village website, please be respectful of any names you come across. Don’t blame them if you’re not happy with EDU, or any other topic. There are six trustees and one mayor in the village. These are the people that make decisions on things like EDU. In the end, I’m not blaming anyone other than myself for waiting this long to understand the facts.
Visit www.villageofowego.com. There is a lot of information here.
For EDU information, click “Departments” on the left side of the page.
Then click “Sewer”.
Next, click “How is sewer billed?”
“Appendix A (EDU Categories)” is the listing of EDU categories.
I’m almost done typing, but I need to tell you my position on the hottest topic in the village these days. The Owego Police Department (OPD).
This is one of those topics that has so much emotion surrounding it that it has been very hard for me to separate the facts from opinion. I know I am not alone in feeling this way.
I want to have adequate police coverage in the village, not only so that the residents feel safe, but more importantly so that we truly are safe. Our police coverage must also be affordable. This is definitely something that we can achieve, but it means we all will have to work together in order to determine the best path forward.
I want us to look at options. I want these options to be made public to all village residents. From there decisions can be made that make the most sense and will provide us with the best possible public safety services. In the end, I expect us to come up with a solution that is affordable and sustainable into the future.
Thanks for reading and I hope that this letter has conveyed a little more to you about who I am and how I believe I can help our village make some positive changes. I’m asking for your consideration in electing me to represent our Village as Trustee for the Second Ward when you vote on Wednesday, March 18.
I also respectfully ask that you consider voting for my fellow “A Positive Change” running mates, Ann Lockwood and Lisa Curatolo. They both bring a lot to the table. They have experience and motivation that our village deserves. Together, we can make a difference.
Sincerely,
Robin (Rob) Manville
Candidate for Owego Village Trustee
