Yoiks, methinks the game is afoot, and the enemy is the City of Aberdeen.

Our City Council recently awakened to the fact that our water, sewer and stormwater systems are in dire need of a monetary “transfusion.” So much so that a $3 million (almost $4 million) raise in rates is justified over the next five years, especially when they are only collecting a little more than $7 million per year already.

Goody goody for them finally figuring this out.

There were a couple of things that may have been overlooked as they planned for this escalated rate raise.

1. There was no mention of the EMS Fee (presently $23.87).

2. There was no mention of the Utility Tax (presently $3.20).

3. There was no mention of what the final cost would be for the standard rate for a single family residence in five years, currently $98.16.

Since the EMS fees and the utility taxes were not included in the proposed rate hikes, I have used the same fees in this five-year projection. That being said, the standard monthly fee will be for 2020: $107. 54; for 2021: $113,54; for 2022: $122.54; for 2023: $142.04; and for 2024: $151.04. These figures were conveniently left off the newspaper article.

It is difficult to imagine why this problem has been let go for so long — why it was not corrected over the past 20 years, when costs would have been much cheaper, and we would not have been as inconvenienced, when things would not have been in such a state of disrepair that an exorbitant rate raise would not have been needed.

I don’t doubt that our water, sewer and stormwater systems need to be updated repaired and in some cases replaced, but let’s not get so carried away that we create a greater problem, instead of fixing the one we have.

Let’s step back, take a long look at this problem before we “Stick It To The Taxpayers” again. I don’t ask you to take my figures at face value, but add it up yourself and you will find a rate raise that I will probably not be around to enjoy. Thank God.

Larry Wakefield

Aberdeen