Civil discourse a pleasant surprise

I knew ahead of last Tuesday’s council meeting there would be a crowd, having received a bulk email about concerns over the proposed rate increases.

I am always a bit nervous when there is a crowd at government meetings because you never know the atmosphere of the meeting, but I need not have worried about the Feb. 20 meeting, as the meeting was the epitome of great civil discourse.

There was nearly standing room only, but there is not a lot of seating in the council chambers.

Questions, comments from the audience were courteous, well thought out and thought provoking. The council and department heads were attentive and tried to address the concerns. There were even some lighthearted moments during the discussion.

It was a pleasure to witness the discussion after witnessing some not so civil discourse at meetings, such as annex meetings and the ambulance station public hearing in past years. But Worland is not the only place where I have witnessed hostile meetings. It comes with the territory after covering a variety of government meetings over the past 34 years. I remember one Lovell Town Council meeting where you could have cut the tension in the room with a knife.

Meetings, when emotions are high and people are passionate about their beliefs, can become heated.

Not so on Tuesday. I know the people who were in attendance and who were hoping the council might change their minds or lessen the increase were disappointed when the 15% rate increase was approved on first reading. But they did not throw fits or tantrums. They seemed please to have their concerns heard.

Raising rates any time is never easy. However, when inflation is at 3.1%, according to the U.S. Inflation Calculator using data from the U.S. Labor Department, and other utility companies are raising rates it is not unexpected for the city to have to raise its rates.

Costs for repairs on water and sewer lines has increased.Fuel, while less than it’s peak last year, is still higher than it was even a month ago.

In looking at other cities Worland’s size the new rates are actually comparable but every system is different. Some charge per 1,000 gallons, some per 10,000 gallons, some just a flat fee, so it is hard to compare “apples to apples.”

The other thing to note about rates for utilities is that they are in a sense a “user fee” if you will. The more water you use, the more you pay. The more you conserve, the less you pay. I have heard many people opposed to property taxes say everything should be a user fee and that is what these rates are, but when the cost of providing the service increases and for planning for emergencies (i.e. reserves) increases then rates or “user fees” must increase.

The thing about the city council is that they are raising rates on themselves as well. They do not get a discount being on the city council. Some are on fixed income, some have not had raises in their employment, just as those in attendance Feb. 20.

Having covered the meetings each month and visiting with some council members I know it has not been an easy decision and they have held off on raising them as long as they could.

As noted at the meeting, there are council members who are watching the budget and will be making sure funds are spent appropriately.

While no one likes rate increases it was nice to see the civil exchange of dialogue and I hope that is something that can increase with the support of everyone.