Editorial

Referendum would put water vote to people

Friday, June 20, 2003

Starting this month -- a referendum petition is being circulated to call a special election. The question which the petition asks be placed before McCook voters is this: "Shall the City of McCook rescind the contracts for engineering services, not to exceed $682,000, incident to design and construction of a well field north of McCook, not including costs of testing, construction, or land acquisition."

The referendum effort was launched by a member of the City Council, Philip P. Lyons, and two members of the City of McCook's water advisory committee, Gary J. Power and Keith L. Arterburn.

Lyons, who has been a member of the council since 1990, said he started the referendum drive in an attempt "to avoid another fiasco up north." He was referring to the problems which developed after the council approved a contract in 1999 to purchase land at the old Army Air Base. Acquired at a cost of $2.7 million, the site was secured as the source for the city's future water supply.

Lyons is the only current member who was on the council at that time, and he was the only council member back then to vote against the air base contract. Following more than three years of controversy, the City Council decided not to use the air base land as a water source, and the land was subsequently sold at a loss to the city of more than $1 million.

In leading the effort to get the vote for the engineering contract rescinded, Lyons said his purpose is to give the people, and the council, an opportunity to reconsider whether wells north of town are the best option, or whether the city would be better off treating the city's water supply, as was recommended by the Water Advisory Committee. He acknowledged that matters have changed due to the plume of diesel fuel detected under the water storage tank, but says that Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad bears ultimate responsibility for that problem.

In order for the referendum to succeed, Lyons, Power, Arterburn and other petition carriers will need to secure 1,100 signatures. This total represents 20 percent of the registered voters within the McCook city limits.

According to Lyons, if sufficient signatures are gathered, the referendum petition will be presented to the full council, which at that time would have the option of rescinding the engineering contract. If council members choose not to do that, the issue would be placed on the ballot at a special election.

According to the Red Willow County Clerk's office, the cost of a special election would be about $2,910, which was the amount it took for the sales tax vote in May.

Is it worth it? And, would the best interests of the community be served by rescinding the engineering contract? By the referendum process, the people of McCook have the right to decide, with their signatures, whether or not the issue should be submitted to a vote of the people.

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