SECONDARY ISSUES

There are several things in town that new comers in particular have not been informed of, and old timers have forgotten. We have discussed the issues around our treated Culinary Water, but there is a Second independent system of untreated water designated specifically for irrigation, lawns and water. THEY ARE 2 (two) SEPARATE AND DISTINCT SYSTEMS, AND IT’S CRITICAL THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THIS. The Culinary water is owned and operated by the Town of Huntsville (which are the citizens), and is currently administered by the Mayor, with several appointments, and no discernable governing procedures.

The Secondary Water is a privately owned company constituted by the ownership of an established amount of shares, owned by persons or trusts, that right now, stays with a piece of property. It is governed by a set of statutes and an elected Board with a President, who also has the power to change the by-laws. This company’s financial operation has been in the able hands of the Sorensen family, almost as long as it’s been in existence, until recently, when a full frontal take over by Town officials was done. Because all shareholders had gotten comfortable over the years and not attended the yearly Election and Board meeting AROUND APRIL OF EACH YEAR, an end run by certain members of the Town, to take over the operations of the SECONDARY WATER was done, while the shareholders weren’t paying attention. The Town Attorney (made President), the Town Mayor (serving as Town liaison to the Board, and over the Culinary water), the Town Culinary Water Supervisor, and a new resident who may have not seen any problem with this as well as others of us who can’t, were quietly voted onto the board, and promptly took all records to the Town Hall and started billing for the yearly fees for this water Company, who’s paid off their debt. WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OR VOTE OF THE SHAREHOLDERS. While denying any direct involvement while loading the Board up with people also serving in Town functions, the Town now does the yearly billing, and allotted $3,000 from the Town Budget towards the Secondary Water Company funds. Justifying this gross error in interjecting the Town budget into a private companies finances, it was stated that there would be “re-imbursement to the Town from the Companies account”, with the Town handling that as well. While this has all been made to seem harmless enough, there were also references made during discussion in the meeting alluding to the changing of the companies by-laws and admitted strategies for the Town’s use of the privately owned Secondary water, and unclaimed shares. We have tried to warn shareholders over the past year, using several examples in each issue of the Glass, pointing out WHY this is a problem.

While Richard Sorenson was illegally withheld from being voted in on the Board at last years elections, citizens were able to remove one town official responsible for this takeover, and vote in Lewis Johnson who knows as much as any person in this Town about both water systems. The people did this, seeing the threat to our privately owned water share company’s sovereignty, and hoping that Lewis is a “separatist”, and will heed the calls to remove all Secondary system business from access by the Town. We also call for regulations prohibiting any such actions in the future, as well as the structure of ownership. Without these safeguards, we still face the loss of that water. Any bonding issues the company may need, can also be handled on a private basis as well. We urge Lewis, and the current board, to institute these in the best interest of the shareholders, and we urge ALL shareholders to express their opinions, and to attend the NEXT AND ONLY meeting required by statute that the Board needs to hold. Shareholders who believe that Town and Shareholder interests need to be kept separated now and in the future, need to vote for the candidates that understand this as well, and to run for any open positions that are available this election. There is consensus that what the Board did in turning operations over to the Town was illegal without the vote of the Shareholders. If not reversed, we will continue to campaign for it to be done.


*** IT IS IMPERATIVE IN THE INTEREST OF YOUR PRIVATELY OWNED WATER SHARES AND COMPANY, THAT YOU MAKE YOUR OPINIONS KNOWN AND THAT YOU VOTE IN THIS YEARS ELECTIONS FOR THE CANDIDATE WHO MOST CLOSELY SHARES THEM ***