Mis-management of Fires Similar to Sewer

The government mis-management of the Florence Lake and Rice Ridge Fires and the Seeley Lake Sewer proposal are eerily similar...

In the case of the fires, we have state and federal mis-management of the lands, allowing fuel build-ups to incendiary levels and the loss of millions of dollars in timber. Then we have incredible mis-management of the fires themselves which cost a firefighter his life and at last count no less than $21.5 million taxpayer dollars to fight. Then we have the hundreds of thousands in lost revenues to the local tourist economy. Finally we have the untold long-term health effects from a month of hazardous air quality for residents and guests alike..... hundreds....thousands of times worse than the worst winter stove burning day.

Now, the Seeley Lake Sewer proposal. We have local elected county commissioners and sewer board directors pushing a poorly-thought out, poorly planned proposal which will cost upward to $20 million and will do little if anything to protect or clean up the Clearwater watershed.

The difference here is the $20-million sewer price tag is to be born primarily by 450 middle and low income residents, whereas the fire disasters are paid for by both state and federal taxpayers. Another difference...the fire and land manager bureaucrats are inaccessible whereas the Board of County Commissioners and the Sewer folks are our own ELECTED officials.

The big and final difference? We resident taxpayers have the opportunity to say NO to the sewer proposal.