Tip of a huge iceberg

April 30, 2012

Richmond, Iowa

To the Editor:

As reported in Washington County?s newspapers, the county supervisors? meeting on April 24 was a gold mine of information. There was confirmation of quite a few things that I have known or suspected for some time.

Someone recently told me that Washington County paid $95,000 for confiscated church land near Richmond and was giving the land to Regional Utility Service Systems (RUSS) for one dollar. When I asked where that information came from, they sent me a copy of the contract signed between RUSS and Washington County supervisors for ?sanitary sewer services? in October 2007.

Indeed, under the sections ?Ownership and Operation of Systems? and ?Property Acquisition? it does essentially say all property will be owned by RUSS, and the county will use eminent domain to acquire necessary real estate. Absent from the document, however, is any mention of who pays for it. That, plus much else, is left hanging in the air!

Furthermore, once government loans have been arranged, we are stuck for 40 years, which is forever to our generation, as it was for Moses and the Israelites wandering in the wilderness.

I dropped the document on my desk and said out loud, ?Who in their right mind would sign a contract like this?!!?

Recently I have learned that our former county attorney also had some serious reservations about this contract ? but they were ignored.

Apparently something similar happened regarding Washington County?s Lake Trio fiasco with RUSS, and it was good that Supervisor Ron Bennett pointed out some serious issues at last Tuesday?s meeting. Even Supervisor Miksch now admits that the county ?screwed up,? and that if he could do it over he might do things differently. He said, ?I didn?t know all the facts then that I know now.?

How I wish Mr. Miksch could set aside what appears to be a big dose of ?denial? and recognize what a colossal ?screw-up? the entire Richmond lagoon episode has been!

It was also good that Ron Bennett mentioned the town of Franklin?s experience with RUSS? billing ploys. As told to me by several Franklin city officials, RUSS first billed Franklin for $100,000. When asked for an itemized bill, RUSS sent a bill for either $40,000 or $50,000, and when asked again for documentation they sent a bill for $20,000, which was then still being disputed.

Whether this represents shoddy accounting or an attempt at extortion is hard to tell.

Since RUSS? accounting failures will probably be remembered in history, legend and song, I wish someone at the meeting had asked whether RUSS was ever made to document the $40,000 they claim to have spent at Lake Trio. With our present majority of Washington County supervisors, it does seem that ?what RUSS wants, RUSS gets.? And may Heaven help Washington County?s citizens!

Unfortunately, what I have mentioned in this letter is just the tip of a huge iceberg.

David H. Rosen