METCOM - Always expensive... occasionally entertaining.

hitchicken

Active Member
If I post the 19th, will they bring up my comment at the meeting?
 

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spr1975wshs

Mostly settled in...
Ad Free Experience
Patron
I guess, with that sort of ability to read a calendar, the rate increases will take effect last Thursday.
 

NorthBeachPerso

Honorary SMIB
If I post the 19th, will they bring up my comment at the meeting?

Maybe, probably not. The manager might mention that X written comments have been received.

I guess, with that sort of ability to read a calendar, the rate increases will take effect last Thursday.

???
Now is the time in Maryland when public hearings on proposed budgets are held, you'll see the County Commissioners and Town Councils having them from now until the first week or so of June.

Since a budget is an ordinance it has to be adopted in time for ten days to elapse before it goes into effect, so most will be passed by June 20th in time to take effect for the Fiscal Year that begins July 1, which is when the new rates go into effect.
 

Potomac

Member
This is typical for public hearings. You can come to the hearing and present your comments, submit them ahead or submit them for about 2 weeks following the hearing. The public comment period is always open for a period following the hearing since the hearing is the venue for presenting the information about new rates, etc.
 

hitchicken

Active Member
This is typical for public hearings. You can come to the hearing and present your comments, submit them ahead or submit them for about 2 weeks following the hearing. The public comment period is always open for a period following the hearing since the hearing is the venue for presenting the information about new rates, etc.

So tell me my written post-hearing comments aren't flushed straight into the METCOM septic system. Yeah... right...
 

Potomac

Member
why would you say that? They are part of the public record. You can mail them in, drop off a hand written note or email them.
Do you ever attend the rate hearing? If so, you would be one of about 1 - 10 members of the public that attend. Yep, that *many* people turn out each time. Most of the public would rather complain outside of the public forum, long after the fact EACH and EVERY year
 

hitchicken

Active Member
No, I haven't. Let's look at what good it would do...

http://forums.somd.com/threads/314726-Frigging-METCOM?highlight=metcom

http://forums.somd.com/threads/314181-Thanks-for-nothing-METCOM?highlight=metcom

http://forums.somd.com/threads/308430-Metcom-rasing-rates-again?highlight=metcom

http://forums.somd.com/threads/311483-Water-Bill?highlight=metcom

Here we have a sampling of poor website communication, incorrect water termination, steadily increasing bills, overpaid part time lawyer and questionable management hiring. And that is just within the last year! Go back further, you'll find even more. Does attendance at one of these hearings get any better (or worse) results than complaining outside the hearings? Apparently not.

I live in a community with a water system installed in the 50s by the builder. I paid $8 in the 90s. Now, it's $25. The pipes were illegally undersized and corroded. Still are. If more than 3 homes turn on their pressure pump water sprinkling systems at the same time, 100 or more homes lose enough pressure to make bacterial compromise or total loss of pressure (particularly homes on hills or with 2nd floors) a regular occurrence. METCOM has not done a single thing to replace this antiquated system even though they are well aware of it. They were here looking at it. They have even promised NOT to do anything about it.

Oh... and one more. From an insider.

http://forums.somd.com/threads/316999-Metcom-Board-giving-away-money-to-developers?highlight=metcom

IMHO a 1000 or 10 people inside/outside the hearing wouldn't make a bit of difference either way.
 

Potomac

Member
Please distinguish between the Board and the staff. The Board sets the rates among other decisions. The staff takes in all the information, public comment, does the day to day work, nasty, dirty, filthy work by the way. This particular board seems quite interested in hand-outs to their relatives and developer friends. Don't like it? Talk to the county commissioners who appoint them. Don't punish the staff. As for the part-time lawyer, if you believe that than I assume you believe everything published in the Baynet. The Baynet has perpetuated that myth. The Baynet has made a nice profit off of the crap that their guy, who sells ad space on that rag, AND is the metcom chair helps churn up for them.

The system you refer to, if it was built in the 50s was probably built by the developer at the time then taken over, as the law lays out, by Metcom. Come to a board meeting and ask why the Board has not made it a capital project for improvement.

One response may be that there is not funding for it and get ready to hear more and more of that. If you haven't heard, President Trump is not interested in the environment. Most of the federal funding for projects like this come out of the very programs that Trump is interested in cutting
 
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