Rehabilitation and Recreation

Reader encourages district participation

Editor's note: We are rerunning this letter due to a transcription error made last week in the second paragraph incorrectly stating the M.L.I.D. Board of Directors was unable to add "Rehabilitation and Recreation" to the rate payers' obligation. The sentence should read M.L.I.D. Board of Directors were able to add "Rehabilitation and Recreation" to the rate payers' obligation. We apologize for any inconvenience.

In 1929 the Moses Lake Irrigation District was formed. The owners of the most land paid more for the right to draw water from the lake. Over the years, urbanization of the greater Moses Lake area has reduced the number of true "irrigators" to a fraction of what once was. Lakefront homeowners drawing water to water lawns are not "irrigators." Rate payers who don't live on the lakefront no longer have access to the irrigation water they are being charged for!

In 1962 the M.L.I.D. Board of Directors were able to add "Rehabilitation and Recreation" to the rate payers' obligation. This was done without consent of the rate payers.

Now we are the only I.R.D. of its kind in Washington. Rate payers now own, operate, maintain and improve Connelly Park. We own road building equipment and have paid to build a road. We own a dredge too. We have also donated money to help build a fishing dock at Blue Heron Park. These are all laudable goals, if everyone paid a share of the costs.

With rehabilitation and recreation the real priority, everyone who lives within the district boundaries and the city limits should be paying their fair share. We would raise more revenue and be able to accelerate recreational opportunity build out. But is it fair to force some of the area's residents to pay the total cost while others don't pay at all? A more inclusive rate payer base should also include a change in the M.L.I.R.D. voting process to allow every rate-paying adult one vote each. A switch to vote by mail, with Grant County auditors counting the results should also be a part of updating our M.L.I.R.D.

Please look into the issues and give your opinions. Come to the forum July 16 at the new Moses Lake Civic Center at 7 p.m.

Jon G. Smith

Moses Lake