Letter: Hillcrest customer dismayed

My concern is the way Yuba City is going about the Hillcrest water process. They seem to be using big- government fear tactics. The city threatens unhealthy water, lowered property values and the threat to sell to a private company which will skyrocket rates. Will a terrorist threat be next?

My questions:

1. Why are we still referred to as Hillcrest Water customers? I make my check out to the City of Yuba City. A Public Utilities document of Aug. 12, 2001 declared that Hillcrest Water Co. was no more and we were then customers of the City of Yuba City Water District.

2. Why did Yuba City pay $3.4 million for Hillcrest Water Co. in 2001? What was the long-range plan? If you buy  a “pig in a poke,” don’t you own it and become responsible for it?

3. If a sewer line breaks in north Yuba City, will only those residents have to pay to fix it?

4. The city seems to have an endless supply of money for studies, lawyers, publicity and mailers. Where is the money coming from?

5. A 2001 Yuba City brochure titled “Annexation: How it Will Benefit You” stated “no water or sewer hook-up is required upon annexation or thereafter.” What happened to that pledge?

6. Prop. 218 (1996) was passed as an extension of Prop. 13 and requires a vote of affected property owners for any proposed increase in assessments before being levied. Does Prop. 218 allow the city to keep voting over until they get what they want?

7. Does Prop. 218 allow a non-vote to be counted as a yes vote?

It seems to me that they way the city is handling this issue smells worse than Hillcrest Water ever did.

Gary Holcomb
Yuba City