Decision Delayed on Lake Pueblo Charges: Pueblo Chieftain

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The Pueblo Chieftain Online - Wednesday April 04, 2001 wysiwyg:H81/ http : / /www.chietlain.coni/wednesday /news /index/article /5 that the entire enlargement project should be funded with a new district -wide property tax so that Colorado Springs Utilities and the Pueblo Board of Water Works keep control of the proj ect. But they lost that argument because Colorado Springs representatives said there is no way El Paso County voters will approve a new tax. Under the enlargement plan, if the district tries to extend the property tax, all the district's water users would have to support the measure. But if the tax extension vote fails, it wouldn't stop the rest of the expansion project. Alan Hamel of the Pueblo Board of Water Works said he favors the rate -based idea so that users of the water management space are the ones who end up paying for it. But he also said both ideas and even others are worth study. "We have our ratepayers to answer to," Hamel said. "But we need to keep an open mind." John Rose, Otero County's representative in the debate, said the rate -based idea is no good for small communities, especially those east of Pueblo. Colorado Springs "has been extremely, and I underline extremely, successful at convincing people that the only way to do this is for everybody to pay their own way," he said. "That's totally wrong." Small communities can't afford the $2,000 per acre -foot cost of buying guaranteed space in the enlargement, Rose said, and many small communities won't even know for years if they need storage space. He said he's concerned that later, when small towns and cities do need more reservoir space, it will be gone because Colorado Springs, Pueblo and others already bought it all. A small amount will be set aside in the 7,500 acre -feet core of the proposed water management space, but that won't be enough, Rose said. 3 of 4 4/4/014:15 PM