Group responds to sewage election
Published Nov. 7, 2003
The cost of sewage is rising, but it doesn't stink to Columbia voters.
Columbians passed two propositions Tuesday that will raise the average waste-water rate by 55 cents per month and the average water rate by 56 cents per month.
Although Prop. 2, which increased the water rate, was not publicly criticized, a local environmentalist group disagreed with Prop. 1.
The Boone County Smart Growth Coalition did not endorse Prop. 1 because they thought it would lead to development in environmentally sensitive areas. Members said they hope to work with the city to create a citizen advisory commission to review and oversee sewage improvement and expansion, said Barbara Hoppe, Smart Growth steering committee co-chairwoman.
"We're going to continue to promote more public process," she said.
Hoppe said that although Smart Growth had spoken against Prop. 1 and had announced it would not endorse the proposition, the group wasn't surprised that it passed.
"We took opportunities to raise some concerns we had in a limited way," she said. "We did not run a full campaign against it."
Unless a full campaign is run against a proposition, it likely would pass, Hoppe said.
There was a low turnout for the election this year. Prop. 1 was passed 4878 to 2578. Prop. 2 passed 5328 to 2120. Countywide, 11.25 percent of registered voters cast votes on Tuesday, according to the Boone County election information office. A $3.85 million sewage bond for the Boone County Regional Sewer District passed 7555 to 3096.
Smart Growth was successful in informally sharing information about the election issues, Hoppe said.
"We got the word out to a good number of people," she said. "The vote reflects that there are concerns. We've planted the seeds and hopefully some good will come from the concerns."