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A century ago, any brazen leaders who had the audacity to raise fees a whopping 50 percent would have been tarred, feathered, and run out of town on a rail. So imagine our shock when we opened our Hermiston water/sewer bill on March 11, and discovered that our rates had skyrocketed a whopping 50.9 percent in one month! You’ve got to be kidding!
As retired senior citizens, whose retirement wages may (or may not) receive a modest wage increase of 2 percent per year, due to inflation, this crazy increase really blew our minds. Indeed, if someone raises fees above the inflation rate, we call it “greed.” If the rate is 25 times more than the inflation rate, we call it “criminal.” Actually, we know of a single mother in Hermiston who already uses bath water three times before draining the tub, yet in one city vote her bill increased 50 percent! Seriously?
We believe that when our city leaders make asinine mistakes, they deserve a chance to make it right. We suggest that they immediately go back to the drawing board, and refigure an increase that is closer to the inflation rate, and consider a credit refund as well. Failure to do so should result in removal from office. We don’t need a frivolous dictatorship, or oligarchy, in Hermiston. Life here should be “sweet” — not bitter, right? Moreover, we need leaders with integrity, who realize this fee hike is unacceptable, and are willing to fix it ASAP!