Sidonio says fairness in water districts would be a top priority if he’s elected Murray town supervisor
Editor:
I am running for Murray Supervisor to clean up our town’s financial operations. A review of water district taxes reveals that our leaders are asleep at the wheel.
At construction, each water district borrowed money to be built. This debt is repaid by district users through an annual debt service tax. Each district has its own debt and its own corresponding tax rate. The amount raised by tax levy must equal the annual bond payment. No more no less.
However, Murray continues to tax water district resident’s way too much, despite my protests over the years. Here’s the data from the 2018 Preliminary Budget:
| District | Tax Levy | Bond Payment | Overage | Overage per User |
| 1 | $1,925.00 | $0.00 | $1,925.00 | $27.11 |
| 2 | $31,000.00 | $19,380.00 | $11,620.00 | $80.69 |
| 3 | $22,582.00 | $12,697.00 | $9,885.00 | $105.16 |
| 4 | $6,000.00 | $2,431.00 | $3,569.00 | $104.97 |
| 5 | $4,300.00 | $1,528.00 | $2,772.00 | $198.00 |
| 6 | $12,000.00 | $7,330.00 | $4,670.00 | $38.92 |
| 7 | $19,500.00 | $13,300.00 | $6,200.00 | $62.00 |
| 8 | $16,440.00 | $7,803.00 | $8,637.00 | $132.88 |
| 9 | $6,500.00 | $3,800.00 | $2,700.00 | $112.50 |
| 10 | $7,000.00 | $4,070.00 | $2,930.00 | $104.64 |
| 11 | $103,054.00 | $103,175.00 | -$121.00 | -$0.60 |
| 12 | $12,000.00 | $10,943.00 | $1,057.00 | $29.36 |
| 13 | $19,201.00 | $16,213.00 | $2,988.00 | $67.91 |
| 14 | $3,900.00 | $3,049.00 | $851.00 | $77.36 |
| 15 | $59,000.00 | $51,967.00 | $7,033.00 | $58.12 |
On a per user basis, this over levying costs each household anywhere from $27 to $198 per year more in taxes than necessary. That’s real money and it adds up fast.
Where’s it all go? Defenders of the status quo tell us it goes to pay for operation and maintenance of our water system. Sound reasonable? I suppose.
Except that it’s grossly unfair and illegal.
Why should users in District 5 pay almost 7.5 times more for water system operations than their neighbors in District 1? District 11 where our water superintendent resides doesn’t even collect enough revenue to cover its own debt and pays nothing for operation and maintenance! Doesn’t it make infinitely more sense for users to pay for operation costs in proportion to their water usage??
Operation and maintenance cost must be paid from water charges rather than through taxes, precisely to avoid this unfair outcome. The more water you use the more you pay the less you use the less you pay, period.
Unless you live in Murray, that is, where the rules don’t apply.
Our town must immediately reduce water district taxes to come in line with bond payments. If we can’t pay for our operations by selling water we are living beyond our means and must trim costs and waste.
We cannot afford blind tax and spend. We cannot tolerate covering it up by overtaxing our residents for debt service.
Our board refuses to act. Once elected Murray Supervisor, this will be among my first orders of business.
Please vote Joe Sidonio on the Conservative and Independence Lines.
Joe Sidonio
Murray
