We're getting closer the power was connected today.

“…..Bureaucrats and bureaucracy!?!?.........And 99% of the hiccoughs were the result of prevarication and obfuscation of/by bureaucrats…….”

Yeah Johnboy this experience has been reminder that the bureaucracy lives only for the bureaucracy.

The little town that surrounds me has a population of less than 2000. It has its own small police department, a fire station, post office and public works department. It used to be managed by an elected mayor and city council. That seemed to work pretty well. The city budget was always about at the break-even point but the city managed with things like some small federal grants and doing things like acquiring drug seizure vehicles for utility trucks and Police cars. Where the mayor and council were all residents of the town they were pretty good at stretching a buck.

Then a couple of years ago they hired a City Manager to actually run the town and that’s when things drastically changed. Utilities have doubled, property taxes are going up (again) and city services have been cut and the City Manager is still crying how the town is now in the red. Of course we have new police cars and utility trucks and I’d love to know what the City managers’ salary is.

The new rules that have been put in place have gotten to the point where a lot of the local contractors will not take on projects inside the city limits……I had to explain to more than one that my property is actually county before they would take on the job.


“………I would have done the same as you, put in your own well and sewer…….”

When I originally bought the property it was on its own Well and an old cesspool system. About 20 years ago when the septic started going bad I got the permits and hooked up to City sewer and also had City water run to the property as a backup to the well (just in case). When the pump went out on the well a few years later it made sense to just use city water.

At least for the next couple of years the house will be used as a guest house until Donna and I move in and then it will be considered a mother in law house by the county. The county Planning and zoning requires that a Guest House/Mother in law house share the utilities with the main house. The City refused to do that and eventually told me would require separate water hook up and meter. Of course that would require trenching all the way to the road and then paying the city to cut the pavement (and pay for patching it afterwards) to access the city's waterline. Then there was the monthly minimum charge to have city sewer and water .........$50 a month provided I didn't use a drop of water.

While that was bad enough the major reason I went with the well and septic is what I suspect is coming down the road. There are several properties like mine adjacent to or surrounded by the town using city sewer and water. Right now we are paying the same rate for water and sewer as the city residents. I see big rate hikes or even discountenance of services unless we agree to incorporate into the City. In my case my 2 1/2 acres is zoned General Business. The first thing that would happen would be the property would be sub-divided into 2 residential lots. Besides cutting the property value by at least half, then would come the requirements to follow City regulations and of course pay the higher City property tax.

I wasn't wild about writing out the checks for the well and septic but in the long run I didn't feel like there was much a choice to make. On the bright side my utilities now run $40 a month (electric for the well) instead of what would have been over $200 for both houses.

Sorry about being so long winded in my venting.


.