Staunton resident pleads with council

To the Editor:

To the Staunton Board:

It is time to trim the budget, the people of your town cannot continue to pay these crazy high water and sewage bills.

Our income does not go up, therefore, how are we to pay for your services and still be able to pay electric, heating and food bills?

The only thing that is going to happen is more people will move away and leave behind high water bills.

I know of several homes that sit empty because of outstanding water bills now.

So what's going to happen when this starts happening more?

Are you going to cry that you need more money from those who remain?

It's time to decrease insurance coverage, stop paying $300 a month to have the community center cleaned, basically tighten up the belt and cut out the loose ends.

That in itself should save some money.

Take the U.S. Post Offices example, limit the hours the clerk is in office to accept water payments.

Why not, in the past, it has served as no more than a gossip center and people hanging out in the office gossiping. I'm talking in office with clerk, not outside the window.

I am assuming (we know what the means), that you are smart enough to realize this and should act on it.

Instead of raising rates, make cuts to decrease out flow of funds.

It's time to do something different because continuing to raise the rate will only leave more empty homes with unpaid water bills.

Concerned about how to pay my water bill.

Joe Dirt poor water customer.

Deborah Montague,

Staunton