Harold Tobey has no regrets

Here's my favorite quote from today's Barnstable Apologist:

Regrets? Harold’s had a few, but the one that’s stuck with him most was among his first votes when he returned to the council in 2005. It was a question asked by this paper, this reporter, in the pre-election debate regarding the then-red-hot issue of whether to impose a split tax.

Tobey said he would honor the wishes of the voters, which would be reflected in a series of non-binding questions that shared that fall’s ballot.

The voters said they wanted a split tax, but when it came time to vote just two weeks after the election, Tobey voted against it.

“I was going to vote one way and then I didn’t,” Tobey said. “It made me feel bad on two fronts.”

He stands by his vote against the split tax, but “I struggle with the fact that in my enthusiasm to get back on the council, I said something when I didn’t have the full facts before me.”

A smaller regret is that had he been a little more politically astute and counted votes, he would have realized his “no” could not have changed the outcome.

You see kiddies, lying really doesn't matter all that much. That's one helluva a legacy.

Jeff Rudziak fiddles with the numbers

The Apologist continues...

During a state-required revaluation, communities need to base new values on real estate sales for 2 percent of the housing inventory for the most complete calendar year. Rudziak said that in 2008, there weren’t enough market sales to reach that level. While it tells a tough tale for the town’s real estate industry, it will help Barnstable get closer to market values as a result.

Rudziak is using market sales through June 30, 2009, to make up the difference. What had been expected to be a 3 percent drop in town-wide values based on only 2008 sales, is expected to be certified at 8.8 percent, or $1.13 billion.

Homes away from the water will see declines of up to 12 percent. As a result of this decline in residential valuations, commercial, industrial and personal property will equal 11.5 percent of the total levy - up from 10% in previous years, but still down from 20% when Harold Tobey first took office in 1989.

No wonder they bought him a museum at rattle around in.

Meeting Notice: Stewart’s Creek Sewer Expansion Project

Breaking News: Attorney Mike Turner will be attending this meeting. This is a great opportunity for affected residents to ask real questions. Don't miss this meeting on Saturday.

Meeting Notice:

Concerned residents affected by the Stewart’s Creek SEWER EXPANSION PROJECT will hold a meeting

Saturday November 21, 2009
From 3:00 – 6:00pm
At the Calvary Baptist Church
25 Lincoln Road, Hyannis
(West Main Street, Across from Star Market)

to discuss the impact of this project and resident’s options. If you value your home, please attend.

Please rsvp, or if you cannot make the meeting, please contact

Louise DiCecca at
louise.stewartscreek@gmail.com
or for more information call

508-775-8890

We will discuss a variety of items and your participation is needed! Stand up and be heard, This project may cost you up to $35,000! There are alternatives but legal action may be necessary. You are not alone in this mess. The only way to fight this oppressive measure is to band together and send a clear message that your voice matters. Find out how you can help make a difference.

Hosted by SCRUBS

We have a recount (Part II)

For a Charter that you said didn't have a prayer
to lose by just 10 votes, isn't that bad. - A-nonny-mouse
The Devil you know won the day today by 10 votes. The recount was concluded in a swift 2 hours.

A special thanks to John Julius for providing us with photographs of Greg Milne and Jimmy Crocker lurking in the shadows.

Ollie Garque wrote of the recount:

The recount would have been much more orderly with some changes. Each of the two-person teams should have been given ample room to count out of earshot of the other counters. Each team should have had one pro and one anti monitor assigned to it at all times. Each of the four players should have signed off vocally on each vote. The scarcity of monitors was unfortunate. While this would have extended the recount from 2 hours to maybe 8 or more hours what was the rush? Anyway the parties involved did their honest best given the conditions. The deck chairs on the Titanic remain in satisfactory position as we proceed on the last stages of our watery adventure.

The good news is that it will only take 405 votes to recall Greg Mline. The good news is that WE can call a meeting of the voters and set the agenda. The good news is that 8.2 Petitions are still an option. The good news is that Joakim and Rugo will term-out in four years. The good news is that we can start a new charter petition and hope that the voters remember who did and did not support a mayor the last time around.

Do you think that Richard Clark will ever be re-elected to a Charter Commission?

I've eaten some crow in my day, but I've never seen anyone swallow a turkey whole.

Barnstable Wastewater Treatment Alternatives: We're all in this together

I'd like to thank Rob Anderson for presenting his Alternative Wastewater Plan for the Town of Barnstable yesterday. We enjoyed remarkably high readership and received some excellent comments.

In my humble opinion, this proposal is the most viable and sensible option on the table. If you have not had an opportunity to review this proposal, please click here.

The basic premise of this plan is that we're all in this together.

Water is a public resource and we all need to accept responsibility for how we use it, what we put in it and how we dispose of it. This means that we have to meter water usage town-wide and develop a fee structure for wastewater disposal which accurately reflects the cost of your waste on our aquifer.

For more on this, see Is Wastewater Billing Fair?

Another important point is that centralized wastewater treatment is not the only or most cost effective alternative.

We already have made significant investments in our existing Title V wastewater infrastructure. If we pool our resources and share responsibility for these decentralized resources, we can preserve the character of our town and enhance our water treatment capabilities at considerably less cost.

This would require all residents to join a wastewater district by deed giving the town access to and responsibility for the property’s wastewater system. Adoption of the wastewater district will be by popular vote after each resident has been properly notified of their rights and responsibilities.

All property owners in the town would be charged a one time $6,000 connection fee which will be assessed over three years to be reimbursed by a state tax credit. Some adjustment could be made for those who have already paid betterments to the town. Assuming that 25,000 - 27,000 properties are appropriately charged, as much as $162,000,000 could be raised to seed the district infrastructure.

In exchange for this payment, the town assumes responsibility for all wastewater treatment, testing, inspections, systems design and maintenance.

The town agrees to regulate chemical fertilizers so as to ease the burden on residents to comply with nutrient loading standards of the Mass Estuaries report. They will fund an aggressive storm-water runoff treatment program and they agree to implement alternative technologies when shown to be more cost effective. A series of pilot programs will be initiated to fully test and to encourage development of these resources.

Water users will be billed for wastewater disposal by the enterprise account whether or not they are connected to a centralized system.

Amounts will vary based on usage. It is expected that residential fees will be approximately $300 per year. Commercial accounts will be higher based on usage. This will raise approximately $9,000,000 to operate the system annually. These monies could also be available to finance the issuance of revenue bonds fund system build-outs as required.

There are various plans floating around town calling for a Proposition 2 1/2 override and/or a Water Authority to fund the creation of a monlithic centralized sewer processing system. None of those plans give you anything for the $300 a year you will be asked to pay toward this system.

This plan offers you a comprehensive wastwater treatment solution based on your water usage.

Whether or not you are connected to town sewer, your wastewater and your plant and equipment will be professionally managed. And, your neighbors won't be thrown out on the street because they can't afford the 100% betterment program favored by our town leaders.

Please read the next post and join the discussion.

Alternative Wastewater Plan for the Town of Barnstable

The following is a summary of Rob Anderson's proposal for a wastewater district to fund Barnstable's wastewater infrastructure.

Executive Summary

1. All residents agree to join a wastewater district by recording it onto their deed, giving the town access to and responsibility for the property’s wastewater system. Similar to a conservation restriction, this would be a free gift of land assets to the town.

2. All water accounts immediately begin to be billed wastewater rates by the enterprise account whether or not they are connected to the centralized system. This will raise approximately $9,000,000 to operate the system annually. Usage rates are based upon water consumption or by metered effluent pumps.

3. Zoning laws remain in effect in decentralized system areas.

4. Properties with private wells will be metered.

5. A one time $6,000 connection fee will be assessed over three years to be reimbursed by a state tax credit. This will raise $162,000,000 to seed the district infrastructure.

6. The town assumes responsibility for all wastewater treatment, testing, inspections and systems design and maintenance.

7. Homeowners who report failed systems to the town will have their system repaired, remediated, replaced, or, as a last resort, a centralized sewer connection will be provided as available at the expense of the district.

8. The town will maintain a centralized database with a complete inventory of system components, connections, flow rates, nutrient loads, costs, maintenance schedules and geographic features.

9. Data from this database will allow actual nutrient loading calculations for wastewater systems and should be integrated into the Mass Estuaries report with regards to setting standards for overall nutrient management.

10. Commercial accounts will be evaluated for waste strength and primary treatment options to enable compliance with waste strength standards will be the responsibility of the business owner.

11. New sewer accounts will be equipped by the developing party under the town’s guidance and then deeded over to the town to join the district.

12. Adoption of the wastewater district(s) will be by popular vote after each resident has had the opportunity to seek council and been informed of their rights and responsibilities. Property owners who do not respond within 180 days of being given certified notice will automatically be enrolled into the district.

13. The town will regulate chemical fertilizers so as to ease the burden on residents to comply with nutrient loading standards of the Mass Estuaries report.

14. The town will also fund an aggressive storm-water runoff treatment program and implement as roads are serviced. If utilities are added to the roads, all available services will be considered including but not limited to electric, gas, cable, internet, phone, fiber optic, potable water, irrigation only water, etc.

15. The town agrees to implement alternative technologies when shown to be more cost effective and to begin pilot programs to fully test and to encourage development of these resources.

Authored by: Rob Anderson
rw_anderson@comcast.net
Phone: 508-332-8134

Last laugh

We have a recount

It looks like our new Charter will give us one more laugh before a long, cold winter sets in.

"Former" transportation planner Jeffrey Wilkinson was able to collect the required signatures for a recount. I'm not sure how he managed this without a drivers license. I imagine that Greg Milne had to drive him around town.

The two reportedly met in a bar. Jeff has never read the charter, but Greg was able to convince him that it was really important for whatever reason.

Challenge this!

Linda Hutchinrider has invited an army of observers to the recount scheduled for Tuesday. There will be 20 ballot readers, two observers per reader, a panel of judges, a police officer, and another town clerk. When asked if she was partial to either charter, Linda reportedly said that it "makes absolutely no difference to her."

Beaty is BACK

Ron Beaty has taken to carrying Greg Milne's bags. In another letter to the editor, he wrote in part: "First, I would like to emphatically state that I am fully supportive of any and all transparently legitimate efforts to bring financial relief to the residents of the Hyannis Stewart’s Creek area regarding the potential 100 percent sewer betterments that they may be facing. On my own, I have also been working to try and mitigate this problem as well. However, as a student of public policy, I am also a stickler for accuracy when it comes to matters of civic and constitutional significance. There have been recent erroneous accusations which I personally feel need to be clarified and corrected regarding allegations of wrongdoing...blah, blah, blah."

Rob Sennott packs his bags

The publisher of the Barnstable Patriot, Rob Sennott, will be retiring at the end of the year. To his credit, he won't be moving to Georgia (and, may enter local politics).

Got sewage?

According to Ms. Barton, "we had better start taking our responsibilities to our sole source aquifer seriously and develop specific, regionalized, comprehensive wastewater plans, starting with the Town of Barnstable."

Ms. Barton goes on to say that "the simple fact is that sooner or later (even if you live in less populated areas of the town) everyone will need to be hooked up to a sewer system."

Gee, I thought there was no plan for town-wide sewer?

How would you like to get this letter in the mail?

I got involved in local politics a few years back when the Barnstable Town Council voted to strip the Hyannis Water Ratepayers of $10 million dollars worth of land for "the good of the town." I've seen my water rates go up 140% since that acquisition and I'm still waiting for all that goodness we were promised.

The sewer deal is going down the same way. This so-called sewer betterment is being shoved down the throats of innocent by-standers for "the good of the town.".

Read this letter, because if you live in West Hyannis, you are next. (Click on image to enlarge)

These idiots in Town Hall are shameless.

According to the "sewer blog" Denise Geoffrin is telling residents that if they don't sign this "irrevocable" permission they will have their road taken by eminent domain and it will cost them MORE money.

Denise said that she is having no difficulty getting folks to sign. No surprise there. She might was well be holding a gun to their heads.

Isn't that how business is done in that part of Hyannis?

Denise did say that the Board of Health may issue waivers/deferments for people who apply, depending on their circumstances. And, she confirmed that one home on Sea Street received a waiver for ten years before hooking up to sewer years ago.

Let me remind you that when the town proposed the DCPC for Craigville Beach, there were more lawyers than homeowners at Town Council. Do not sign this letter without legal advice.

This isn't a betterment notice. This is larceny

Arlington East on Cape Cod - October 14, 2006

The Cape Codders for Peace and Justice, Code Pink, and the Veterans for Peace installed the first Arlington East on Coast Guard Beach on the Cape Cod National Seashore in Eastham, MA a couple of years back.

See: http://www.massvfp.org

Veterans from the WW II. Korea, Viet Nam, Afghanistan, and Iraq wars came from all over the country to help us build this memorial for those who have died in the Iraq war.

Today, let us also remember peace.