Editor:
Property owners in the District of Sechelt have been charged a merged sewer specified area bylaw tax since 1994.
The current annual rate is $115. I have been paying for 19 years, and still do not have access to municipal sewer.
An estimated 25 to 50 per cent of the District of Sechelt taxpayers do not have sewer service, and according to Mayor Henderson [at the March 19 wastewater open house] will not receive it in his lifetime, or in mine.
Mayor Henderson, when asked if we would get lines brought to our areas along with the plans for the new wastewater treatment facility, advised that the new facility would not be able to handle any of our areas.
I have written the District of Sechelt mayor, and council. They have not responded.
We have paid faithfully for 19 years, and we should be connected to the new proposed wastewater treatment facility.
The District collected our tax money for a specific sewer service. Where is this money now, and shouldn't the taxes be paid back if sewer service is not to be provided?
If the proposed wastewater treatment facility cannot provide the community with sewer services now, and in the future, what good is it?
I am calling on all District of Sechelt property tax payers who have been faithfully paying their merged sewer specified area bylaw tax to write to the District of Sechelt and to the Julian Paine, Inspector of Municipalities, for the provincial government of B.C., requesting that the District be required to refund us our payments with interest or guarantee to provide sewer services within the reasonable time frame.
Elizabeth Waldorf, West Sechelt
