The cost of water

On a quiet Sunday afternoon, Grannie Annie and your intrepid columnist took a drive around the housing neighborhoods of McCook. Primarily I was interested in the conditions of people’s front yards. We found that the majority of residents took pride in their lawns with green and recently mowed grass. Many yards also had pretty decorative plants and flowers that looked really nice. In the more affluent areas, the Reservation, for instance, well-cared-for lawns were the vast majority. In other areas though all too many lawns exhibited brown or dead grass sporting a few or a lot of weeds.

Yes, I understand that a few of our residents are disabled and physically can not tend to their yards. Also, too many times those disadvantaged people are strapped for living funds, have no money to hire lawn care, and have little choice but to disregard their yards. Neighbors?

A little personal story. Our granddaughter loves to be outside her home doing lawn care, her husband not so much. Recently a nearby neighbor observed that our grand was caring for a pair of two-month-old twins and her yard work was suffering. That lady stated that she was retired, had lost her husband, and loved the outside doing yard work. Could she come up to mow, edge and take care of our granddaughter’s yard as she loved doing anyhow? Agreed and that is small-town America; neighbors helping neighbors.

Recently I walked the paved walking/bicycle trail through Kelley Creek. There I observed well-groomed edges all the way and large areas green and recently mowed around the picnic shelters and across the entire canyon. Note the green well-kept islands of Norris Avenue. Evidently, our city has applied ample water to all those areas throughout this summer of drouth.

Economics 101. “When prices are artificially altered relative to their natural market price, inefficiencies result, causing market distortions.” The City Water for municipal areas is free versus individual property owners who are sorely affected by Biden’s inflation, A homeowner on the Reservation complained to me that she had received a “water bill” of over $300. For our municipality, the cost of water is zero—free. Actually we the users pay for it. For a homeowner the trash pickup fee and sewer expense, if applicable, is added in to the “cost of the water we use—all distortions for the real cost of using. Therefore for our City, there is no reason to be parsimonious on the use of water but the homeowner sometimes finds it necessary to limit their use of water in order to make ends meet.

Yes, I like and appreciate the green spaces that our City cares for but I also understand who is paying for them.

Recently, as Nebraska Aeronautics Commissioner, I attended a Division meeting held at the airport in Blair. That airport is thriving and dynamic, catering to the hangaring and servicing of business aviation as well as the many private airplanes in the Omaha area. One hangar also houses the very busy Omaha Police helicopter department. Our quarterly meeting was held to showcase the big hangar of their FBO. The Blair City Manager was on hand as at McCook by State regulation their City Manager is also the Airport Manager.

Observing a crew mowing grass alongside the runway and taxiways I visited with the Blair City/Airport manager who pointed out that Blair employees do not do any mowing, City or Airport, and that all their mowing is done by contract. He deemed that contract much more efficient and cheaper than hiring city employees to do the task. It also gives high schoolers summer jobs. Interesting.

This past week I received a call asking my opinion about the upcoming vote to finance a new swimming pool and a baseball complex. Quite a complicated survey. Honestly, I am in favor of both projects and of the opinion that the bond issue will pass. The Masonic organization's promise of a $250,000 donation is a wonderful gesture as well as the $2.5 million donation from Lloyd and Elizabeth Benjamin to get the ball complex started. Still, this former City Council member is of the opinion that both could be financed through City efficiencies in their budget rather than by increasing the sales tax rate by the half-cent that will be voted on. For me it may be a sad mistake that those projects were combined and saddled with the increase of our sales tax.

That is the way that I saw it.

Dick Trail