To the Editor:
Thank you to all Osseo residents who voiced grievances regarding utilities/sanitary sewer rate increases. This bumpy road for residents began when Osseo increased utilities rates to finance the city’s sewer infrastructure improvements. Osseo implemented resolutions setting sanitary sewer fees in 2022 and 2023 based on “Irrigation All usage” resulting in sky-high utility bills and a deluge of complaints.
In response to complaints, Ehlers and the City of Osseo confirmed plans to credit residents’ accounts Q3 2023 for sanitary sewer overcharges incurred in 2022.
Jessica Cook, Director, Fiscal Accounting, Ehlers expects that single family residential customers who receive a credit will generally be those who, during 2022: used more water per quarter from April through December as compared to January through March AND used more than 15,000 gallons of water per quarter in that same time period of April through December.
Cook added that the city will include Winter Quarter Averaging in the new resolutions effective 2023 and going forward.
Administrator Grams (and conceivably Mayor Poppe and/or the city attorney) must collaborate with consultant partners and communicate transparently with the Osseo City Council to ensure the council has the information required to make fact-based decisions that reflect the best interests of residents. Unfortunately, without having complete, accurate information from Ehlers and city leaders, the Osseo City Council voted unanimously in favor of botched resolutions that cost residents not only their money but their trust in city leaders.
Ehlers is accountable to the city, and the city is accountable to its citizens. City leaders must communicate transparently to bridge the confusion / clarity gap with the city council as well as residents. The minimum work Grams, Poppe, and other city officials must do before making policy decisions is to address this question: “How will this decision affect Osseo residents?”
Kathleen Gette
Osseo
Copyright © 2023 at Sun Newspapers/ APG Media of East Central Minnesota. Digital dissemination of this content without prior written consent is a violation of federal law and may be subject to legal action.
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