Rural Water - Quarter 1, 2008 - (Page 31)

© Photographer: Gino Santa Maria | Agency: Dreamstime.com It’s not easy to find time to review and evaluate such things as ordinances. Requiring folks to follow the budget isn’t always easy. Making increases in rates and fees is usually an unpopular thing to do. However, these things are part of your fiduciary responsibilities. Have you appropriately adopted impact fees? Are you sure that you are abiding by the law with what you charge for a connection fee, meaning that you only charge what the connection actually costs in parts, labor, etc.? These are only a few of the laws that you need to make sure you are adopting and following. I feel that regular review of the ordinances, resolutions and bylaws is vitally important to the success of your community. Along with that, I would encourage you to evaluate often, at least annually, your rates and fees. It is equally important to make sure that your system is not operating in the red with higher expenses than revenues. Do you follow your budget and insist that each depar tment or individual involved in the finances makes regular reports to the board or council? Do you require purchase orders and accountability in spending the public’s money? This is a problem that several of our communities have realized and had to deal with. Remember, it’s better to tackle these kinds of problems early on rather than waiting until it’s a bigger problem than you can deal with. I’m aware of a few places where different depar tments have been allowed to have too much free reign, and as a result the budget has been basically thrown out the window. I’ve only scratched the surface when talking of our fiduciary responsibilities. In your position, your citizens are trusting that you will take good care of what is theirs, even the entire community. Sometimes addressing a better system for checks and balances is difficult. It’s not easy to find time to review and evaluate such things as ordinances. Requiring folks to follow the budget isn’t always easy. Making increases in rates and fees is usually an unpopular thing to do. However, these things are part of your fiduciary responsibilities. I encourage you to be brave as you tackle all the “stuff” you have to deal with. And don’t hesitate to ask for help if we can assist you in any way. Happy trails! m First Quarter 2008 • 31 http://Dreamstime.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Rural Water - Quarter 1, 2008

Rural Water - Quarter 1, 2008 Contents From the President Afterburn: Nexters' Impact in the Workplace Retirement Will Have to Wait From Sewage, Added Water for Drinking Rural Water and the Farm Bill Fiduciary Responsibility: It's All About Trust Water Industry Supports International Rural Water Association Regulatory Update The Rural Water Washington Rally in April Throwing My Loop A Precious Thing Called Water Index to Advertisers Advertisers.com From the CEO

Rural Water - Quarter 1, 2008

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