To the Editor:
Originally, Lady Lake and Fruitland Park discussed building a joint sewer treatment facility, but the leaders of both towns went their separate ways. Lady Lake built a regional capacity facility; Fruitland Park built a small facility that never worked! Talk about bad decisions made by a city! They then, in 2015, had to pay $1.4 million for a sewer line (1.7 miles long) to pump Fruitland Park’s effluent to Lady Lake’s sewer treatment plant. If I’m reading correctly, the City has been using the general fund to pay off these follies, jeopardizing their credit rating.
On 6/24/19, “Commissioners eventually unofficially decided to implement a 25 percent annual increase in the rates over the next three years.” According to my calculations, that will amount to approximately a 95% increase in our water rates over three years. Isn’t that a little aggressive? And why should the Villagers living in Fruitland Park be required to pay for a failed wastewater treatment plant purchased prior to its existence? Didn’t the Villages pay sewer impact fees to Fruitland Park? Where did that money go?
Mr. Croom states in his article that Mr. DeGrave represents Pine Ridge and Mr. Mobilian represents Pine Hills. He is wrong. Both commissioners represent both Pine Ridge and Pine Hills. I live in Pine Ridge and Mr. Mobilian is my representative.
Which brings me to another subject. Mr. Mobilian, didn’t you campaign on being a steward for the finances for the people of the Villages? And yet you went along with increasing the water rates? Did you look into areas that could be cut from the budget rather than pass the foibles of past administrations onto the public? Keep in mind the library and it’s budget that Mrs. Mobilian so tenaciously tore apart. The same may be done for other factors within the city.
Jan Collins
Village of Pine Ridge
