Mayor Don's lost it...

[ZachTheZip]

http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/15430311.htmlSo the Don is planning to sell off our sewer system to somehow help pay for tuition for Akron Public School students if they plan on attending the University of Akron or another technical or advanced trade school in the city.I like the idea of offering incentives to keep our students within the city instead of migrating away, in fact it is what should have been happening for years. But to sell off the sewer system to do so? That's crazy. It should be done through some type of investment that the student gets once they start school in the 1st grade that grows for 12 years to be used when they graduate, but if they chose to leave the city we re-invest it back into other students' funds. But I guess that's hard to do when the city is over $1,000,000,000 in debt.

[zen]

I heard about that on the radio.freakin' genius I'm sure it's in the best interest of the people you represent to put their sewer service in the hands of private interests.I mean, I'm not a big-government lover, but for-profit businesses don't always have the consumers best interests at heart either.

[bobbyake]

I heard about that on the radio.freakin' genius I'm sure it's in the best interest of the people you represent to put their sewer service in the hands of private interests.I mean, I'm not a big-government lover, but for-profit businesses don't always have the consumers best interests at heart either.

The government doesn't control natural gas or electric, why should it be any different with sewage control? I'm willing to bet it will be highly regulated if it does go into private control.I'm more in favor of a 10/15 year lease of the sewage company.You can market the scholarships to people that live outside the city. It's a way to get homes sold in the city and improve the quality of people that live inside the city. Akron needs to follow Washington DC, New York, Chicago, and Columbus's examples. Akron needs to experience gentrification. A good start would be for AMHA to move all of it's projects to the outer skirts of the city. If the city can rid itself of Section 8, wealthier people will start to move in and the city will experience a boom to its economy.

[timmyboy]

If they were to sell it to a a private company that would raise everyones rates because what the city doesnt tell you is that the sewer system in akron is in need of a 7 million dollar upgrade just to bring it up to the EPA's standards. Im not sure about you but i know that i dont make enough money for that 7 million dollar cost to be passed onto me.

[bobbyake]

If they were to sell it to a a private company that would raise everyones rates because what the city doesnt tell you is that the sewer system in akron is in need of a 7 million dollar upgrade just to bring it up to the EPA's standards. Im not sure about you but i know that i dont make enough money for that 7 million dollar cost to be passed onto me.

They'll probably get a grant to fix the problem. If not, rates will rise or a new tax will be put on the ballots if the city continues to run the sewer company. The government/city already does a horrible job managing the thing. Why not see what a private company can do? I would rather see them raise rates than raise taxes. They already want to raise taxes so that the city can accommodate the Poor’s transportation needs. I hope everyone is smart enough to vote against that. I would really enjoy seeing the Metro cut routes. The best thing that could happen to Akron is to create inconveniences for the poor so that they'll be more inclined to move somewhere else (Cleveland, Detroit, Youngstown, etc.) This city needs to start bull dozing condemned homes, and focus on rebuilding for a more educated, wealthier future generation.

[Hilltopper]

If they were to sell it to a a private company that would raise everyones rates because what the city doesnt tell you is that the sewer system in akron is in need of a 7 million dollar upgrade just to bring it up to the EPA's standards. Im not sure about you but i know that i dont make enough money for that 7 million dollar cost to be passed onto me.

Timmy, I think you're missing a few zeros there on that upgrade to the sewer system. I think it's more in the neighborhood of $700 million. Akron has alot of combined sanitary and storm sewers. every time there is a big rain, the water from the storm sewers overwhelms the treament plant and the excess is dumped directly into the Cuyahoga river. The EPA has been threatening legal action for years. I think the mayor sees a way to shift the liability and blame for future cost increases away from the city and onto the shoulders of some corp.