Editor,
1). We have already been paying for the “South Bayfront Levee Assessment” since 2009 of a 20-year assessment that ends in 2028 for flood control. We, on the east side (flatlands) of San Mateo paid $64.24 last year, while west side residences only paid approximately $24 per household a year. So, us flatlanders paid over 2 1/2 times more for this assessment as compared to the west side households. We don’t get more rain in the flatlands, but we do get all the runoff from the west side.
2). The city of San Mateo gave us very nebulous “Proposed Stormwater Fee Rates.” What is my “Land Use Category?” How much more money will we have to pay?
3). Last New Year’s Eve flood problem was caused by lack of maintenance of the exist. Pumps that we paid for to drain the lagoon and not pumping out the water from the lagoon before the storms.
4). Why does the city of San Mateo make it so difficult to file a protest? Perhaps they don’t want to hear from us and just take more of our money because they failed to maintain our existing infrastructure. It all doesn’t seem fair.
Mike Manely
San Mateo
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(4) comments
Quote from today's SM city newsletter:
"Steps the City is Taking to Prepare for this Year’s Rainy Season
Inspecting and cleaning catch basins and trash racks throughout the city
Preparing stormwater pump stations
Increasing the number of free 24/7 sandbag stations - we will expect to have four open this year
Coordinating improved public outreach and messaging for emergency preparedness'
OK, great! (Sound like PR is big on the list...talk is cheap).
But shouldn't those steps just be the beginning of steps taken? What about dredging the Lagoon? And beginning to enact some of the other necessary steps that they want all the assessment fee money for? And, has anything been done to procure government funding to at least help out, if not pay for the needs? Has Mullin been strongly encouraged to help us?
And I agree, former city council and city employees who "kicked the can down the road" should be made liable and accountable.
You’re talking about the levees that face the bay and protect us from bay flooding. We are talking about upgrading our creeks, all 17 which live inside the city limits, in addition to expanding storm drains and cleaning of a lagoon or flood system that hasn’t been dredged in 42 years. Did you know 27 people died last winter? You can’t afford 26 cents a day? Your life isn’t worth that much?
Why was the lagoon or flood system here was not taken care of in 42 years? Who was in charge , look at the Mayors and City Councils, who are they and question them and have them respond. You cannot go forward with not understanding the stupidity and making sure they pay in dollars their own, and acknowledge their culpability of the messes they all left because they could not get it done and did not know how. Same thing today, they probably wanted to "study" it.
Goring 1) Did your house flood? 2) Do you believe in climate change and the need to reinforce our infrastructure as a result? 3) Do you have any better ideas? Those are my questions for you... I don't disagree with you that previous council's didn't plan accordingly, BUT the reality is this is where we are today. We need to proactive, not keep doing the same, nothing.
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