$80.00 Surcharge Passed
| Last week, the Tellico Village
Property Owners Association board, officially passed the $80.00 per
month water surcharge fee on all village home owners for five years.
Only one board member, John Orr, voted against the surcharge. The
special assessment is to kick in beginning October 1st, 2024. The board
noted that they would reevaluate the fee at least annually. They also
said the fee could go down, or up, end sooner or last longer. According to the POA board, the special assessment is needed to make 36 million dollars in repairs and upgrades in their water and sewer systems. A number of residents were in attendance at the meeting to object to the fee with some supporting. It was mentioned at the meeting by a couple residents that there may be a legal challenge to the surcharge. Each home owner would pay $960.00 per year in addition to their monthly water/sewer bill. Oddly, toward the end of the meeting, the POA, CEO, Chet Pillsbury, wandered into the topic of the village incorporating. He said his friend, Van Shaver, keeps bringing it up and he just wondered what was in it for me. A very odd statement. The only way the Village survives, long term, without pricing their residents out, is to incorporate. There's no doubt they could get state legislators to help with the process. After all, they almost passed the entrance tax through the state without almost anyone knowing about it. They say they're working on that state legislation again this year. They tried to get state legislation to create their Water Authority. That one ran off the rails. They got state legislation to allow the POA to get a liquor licenses and certain tax exemptions. The POA is very familiar with how to get state help when they want it. This would be no different. Mr. Pillsbury asked what was in it for me if the village incorporated, absolutely nothing. But what might be in it for Mr. Pillsbury if the village were to incorporate, could be the unemployment line. |
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7/22/24