Tuesday, July 1, 2014

selling the city’s water supply now? This time it’s for real….


 


One of the more effective hits on former Mayor  O'Brien's  2013 campaign was unfounded assertions that he was cutting a deal with the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) to sell the city's water department --- the city's most coveted natural resource.

None other than ex-Congresswoman turned lobbyist Nancy Johnson was trotted out by the Republican campaign to falsely and deliberately spread the rumor that Mayor O'Brien was getting rid of water assets to the tune of $80 million: a big lie that had its origins in former Mayor Tim Stewart's talks with the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) about the city's regional water assets.

Now comes a plan from the second Stewart administration to sell off a piece of the city's water resources in Southington in exchange for a cool $ 1.2 million from that town's government. Southington now pays New Britain a $106,000 annual lease for the water rights.

Mayor Stewart, quoted in her weekly newsletter, assures us that our neighboring town wants the Patton Brook Well for its water plan and that continuing the lease is not an option for either town.

According to the Mayor's office,  Southington offered to buy the Patton Brook parcel for $200,000. Miraculously, Erin Stewart claims she negotiated a sale for $1 million more, adding one-time revenue to the city,  but eliminating the $106,000 annual income after 2014.  The Stewart administration insists that the city is not selling any more water reserves at this time. 

 

Reservoir near New Britain and Southing line (www.lenard-eng.com)

Not so fast.  The devil is in the details here. And it will be up to a public hearing and the Common Council to get these details and more answers that weren't provided in the Mayor's braggadocio about her negotiating skills.


Will that $1.2 million sale price obligate New Britain to do infrastructure work on the city's dime before the sale goes through?  If that is the case the city's return on a sell off of one of its natural assets may not even be close to  $1 million. And lost forever is the $106,000 annual income from the longstanding lease with Southington.  

There are also questions as to why the sale income would go into city's general fund instead of the water enterprise department fund as would be customary in transactions involving the water department.  The Board of Water Commissioners reportedly approved the deal but with only three members present and one of those Stewart-appointed members abstaining.

No one questions that the city -- the structural deficits acknowledged by the current and past mayor -- could use revenue over what property taxes and state aid provide.  But the selling of public land and natural resources for short term gain is a risky proposition that may cost the city more in the long run.

The public needs to know a lot more about this sales contract with Southington before it is approved by the Council and signed by the administration. 
By: John McNamara

Re-posted from http//nbpoliticus.blogspot.com

John:  the repairs needed to put the well back in use requires an excess of one million dollars of repairs with Farmington offering to purchase this well for an approximate 30 K  but Major Stewart negotiated the higher figure you quoted.   This is just a well and not what O'Brien was attempting to sell to the MDC.  Also the state required Farmington to have this well in good repair as a emergency back up for their water needs.   This sale is without the repairs that forces Farmington to due the repairs at their cost.

Erin has made a good deal in this matter!

fs 

 

nbpoliticus | June 30, 2014 at 11:45 pm | Tags: environment, water | Categories: City Hall, Environment, Municipal Budget | URL: http://wp.me/pWyF4-1iY

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Frank:

I don't know why you even publish the political rantings of this evil person. His prevarications and hatred of anyone not a democrat are nothing but garbage. He is trying to remove the memory of the ineptness and the stupidity of the O'Brien Administration. After what O'Brien and his henchmen did to the taxpayers of the city of New Britain, it will take decades from which to recover. It's fortunate that the voters of NB turned out to defeat O'Brien. Who next will Lil' Mac trot out to ruin the City? DeFronzo? Trueworthy? Bielinski and her nepotic tricks? Carlozzi?

Lil' Mac is a human piranha who feeds exclusively on lies, innuendo and hatred. Don't dirty your blog with his trash talk, Frank !

Anonymous said...

You shouldn't let democrats voices be heard Frank it is below you.

Its' a bad deal though and NB should keep it we may need it one day and it is making us $ every year. Don't let thses assets go!!!

Anonymous said...

Mac is such a liar!

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