The tower will serve about 3,000 acres of new development, said Dan Lynch, water utility director. In the immediate future, it will provide service to the new Hendricks subdivision. I live in downtown Janesville, and so far no one has told me I will need a water tower to continue to receive water.
The water tower article is written in a shallow pool of thought in order to convince residents it is something to be proud of, that if others have one then we should too, that it may be seen from County A and the city logo might appear on it. The article refuses to go any deeper than that.
I for one don’t buy into the prospect that this sprawl will create a larger taxpool of payers and somehow lower my utility bills and property taxes. If I'm wrong, I would like to see the projected lower figures now so I can adjust my budget accordingly. I could be wrong, but the sneaky way the article was written leaves me to think that the current residents of Janesville will be paying for this water utility. The Gazette states that the council will okay the construction, but more importantly they neglect to say what the developer is willing to pay to enjoy this valuable Janesville resource. I would think that if someones property needed special consideration due to high elevations or other circumstances in order to use the nearby resources they would at least pay to have it done, and not expect others to foot their bill.
If I’m wrong and the developer is footing the entire $2.7 million bill, I will retract this article immediately. The Gazette article spoke about everything except who is paying for it, which leads me to believe that we all will be paying for it.
In another seemingly unrelated article on Saturday, the Gazette helps the city announce a shuffling of job positions that will save residents money. Apparently the city feels it hasn’t let enough things slip through its fingers, so it can afford a brain drain in top level positions. City manager Steve Sheiffer claims the changes will save the city $274,179. The timing of this announcement seems to be carefully orchestrated to overshadow the water tower expenditure that will cost the city ten times what Sheiffer wants to save it by giving someone a promotion. City administration has the Gazette on its side, so it will be almost fruitless to oppose these developments. Too bad.
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