Commissioner Gearhart is quoted in today's papers (Star Democrat and Times Record)as saying she would be "willing to pay $1 a day for her toilet to continue working". This is not what she said and a correction is in order. She along with many other residents of Ridgely question the need to pay a $1 a day more if there is no water sewer emergency. IF the 1.5 million loan request (which could lead to citizens paying more for water sewer)is for development, she opposes putting such a burden on town residents.
This is the big question before the town. The Developers Rights and Responsibilities Agreement (which the Planning and Zoning Commission negotiated with the developer of Ridgely Park) puts the burden of payment for the improvements to the spray irrigation system on the developer. Taking out a loan now puts the burden on us. Is there now an emergency situation which requires us to take out this large loan instead of waiting for the developer to do what they are contractually committed to doing?
A detailed blog post on this important issue is forthcoming.
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4 comments:
Dear Mr. Gearhart,
Commissioner Gearhart said she would be willing to pay $1 in response to a woman who was sitting two rows behind me who stated that the seniors in Ridgely cannot afford to take on more financial burdens. Commissioner Gearhart said, a few feet in front of me, that she was willing to pay $1 to keep her toilet running. I heard it and it is in my notes. I would not make this up.
I apologize if this has caused you or the town of Ridgely any distress.
Just so you know, I have put in my two weeks notice and will not be at your next meeting. I have been seeking a more lucrative position for some time.
Thank you, it has been a pleasure getting to know you all and I am sincerely sorry if my writing has caused anyone grief. It is not my intent to hurt anyone or get anything incorrect.
Regards, Jill Kubatko
I'm sorry but you are wrong. Maybe you couldn't determine whether or not she said "would be" vs. "wouldn't be". Furthermore, everything she has said on this issue points to the fact that she's VERY AGAINST imposing fees on Ridgely residents for the sake of development. You have our number, email etc. and could have checked out this obvious contradiction.
You also have some other facts wrong in your article. You write "The town council (sic)then decided to take out a loan to pay for the system's improvement". Wrong! There has been no vote. There will be a hearing and a vote by the next Commissioner's meeting.
Also, its spray irrigation not "spring" irrigation. There are other errors too. It would behoove you to check your facts. It's fine to report opinions but unless you are an editorialist, don't draw conclusions. Just report what this or that person said AND be sure you are accurate.
At least in this case, there is a blog to get the facts out.
Ridgely is a small town and taking out such a loan is a big deal. If it's a mistake, we who live here and love the place will pay and pay.
Jill:
I listened to the tape from the March 3rd Commissioners of Ridgely meeting over and over today. I can not figure out how in the world you got the idea that I "would be willing to pay $1 a day for her(my) toilet to continue working". It's just not there. For me to say something like that would be the same as saying it's okay with me to raise the sewer rates to carry a $1.5 million loan which was proposed by our Town Manager. I am certainly not in favor of the loan and would never agree to burden our taxpayers with a $90 per quarter increase on their water/sewer bill. Rather, I believe there are other alternatives to explore for the financing of the irrigation upgrade.
We have a meeting scheduled with the "Ridgely Park" development for March 17th, at 6:00 to discuss this issue. We have a special meeting on the proposed budget revision for March 27th at 7:00. We also told the people that a meeting with MDE will be scheduled before the next Commissioner's meeting, which is on April 7th.
I checked the tape for any statements that could be interpreted as meaning the "Commissioners decided to take out a loan". This is not the case either and there is nothing on the meeting tape that indicates such.
If you would like to listen to the tape, please contact me and I will make arrangements to do so.
But the fact remains that a lot more people read the articles than will read this blog or a retraction in the Newspapers. So the damage is done.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Gearhart,
Please write a letter to the editor of the Times-Record with your concerns.(Circulation 4,000)
I apologize for the "spring" it was an error, for some reason the word stuck in my head. Previously I had written "spray," stuff happens.
I am sorry the "statement" has caused you both such a problem.
I hope the commissioners and commisions all continue to be passionate about your town and community. It is nice to see someone cares enough to look out for the people of Ridgely and their future.
I wish you and the town of Ridgely nothing but the best.
- JK
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