Throwback Thursday strikes again.
Another photo from Bill Altice: The Chuck Wagon, 1990
The Chuck Wagon
1
Cherry Street Front Yard Flowers
Photo courtesy of neighbor Cristina Dominguez Ramirez:
Pine Street Hole
Trash/Recycling Pickup Tomorrow
This Wednesday is a red Wednesday, which means trash and recycling pickup. Ideally, rolling recycling containers are stored and deployed in the back alleys along with trash cans. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night.
If you have not done so already, don’t forget to sign up for your Recycling Perks.
In order to take your recycling to the next level, read this: 10 ways to improve your recycling.
Coming up…
Belle Island Assault
The official crime sheets have been quiet for Oregon Hill, but people should still be careful.
Members of a group of about 10 to 12 youths threw rocks at or punched at least five victims and robbed one victim of a cell phone, police said.
Officers and a K-9 unit responded to the scene about 9 a.m. and tried to locate the suspects, who are believed to be between 14 and 18 years old. Police think the group left Belle Isle by walking over the dry rocks toward Riverside Drive.
Note: I am seeing a police blotter that reports this assault as having happened yesterday, Sunday.
RPD Collecting Bicycles for Community Ride
From Richmond Police Department:
The Richmond Police Department is collecting bicycles for our 1st annual Community Bike Ride on the Southside of Richmond.
Please donate your gently used (or new) bicycles, of any size, to us by emailing us at RPDCares@richmondgov.com or call us at 646-0407. We are willing to pick up the bicycles.
Deadline for donation is September 16, 2016.
In advance, thank you!
From Yesterday’s Picnic
Calling All Rams…Churches Sponsor Welcome Back Students Picnic On Sunday
Water Utility Reform and Local Elections
Although multiple media outlets covered the City Democratic Committee mayoral forum at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School this past Tuesday, the Times Dispatch newspaper captured this exchange:
Morrissey also chided Berry, a former assistant city manager in Richmond and county manager in Hanover County, on his response to a council candidate’s concerns about high city water rates that are inflated by an annual payment to the general budget in lieu of taxes.
Berry had warned that eliminating the payment from the public utility enterprise fund would hurt the city’s general budget. “The problem is if you take that away, it’s money that goes away from the general fund.”
Morrissey responded, “Just because you need the money doesn’t mean you can add a phony, faux tax to the water bill.”
Councilperson Baliles, who could not attend that forum, released this video:
On top of that, there was this announcement:
On today’s packed edition of Open Source RVA, we talk with city council candidate Charlie Diradour about his campaign to represent the second district. We discuss Richmond’s water rates, transparency in city government, what’s happening with Monroe Park and a host of other topics
…
We also welcome back to the program Farid Alan Schintzius, who talks about his legal efforts to appeal the decision by the city’s electoral board that disqualified him from the mayoral ballot. Too much show? You decide. Listen in at 2PM on WRIR 97.3 FM and http://wrir.org.
That’s today (Friday, Sept. 9 at 2pm).
So…The ongoing citizen campaign to reform City of Richmond’s water utility has become part of the local election landscape. Oregon Hill neighbors and others who have worked over time to bring water utility reform forward are excited to hear what the candidates have to say going forward.
It continues to be outrageous that small volume residential citizens can pay as much as 78% of their water/sewer bill for service charges, while some above average volume users can pay as little as 11%.
Will the candidate support removing the federal income tax surcharge on the water rates?
Will the candidate support lowering the base service charge that all customers must pay before receiving the first drop of water?
Will the candidates support discontinuing the use of the water utility as a cash cow for the city’s general fund?
