BY NINA MCCOY

At my first meeting as a newly appointed member of the Martin County Water and Sanitation Board of Directors on April 26, I faced a decision that I did not think should be controversial at all.

At issue was the long-awaited loan that had finally been secured from Kentucky Rural Water Association (KRWA) to pay off old debt. The board was given three options of how to deal with the $1 million loan.

Option 1 was to pay all past-due vendors in full without interest.

Option 2 was to negotiate a settlement with all vendors.

Option 3 was to pay all past debt post-2018 and negotiate settlement for debt prior to the Public Service Commission (PSC) order when the Debt Service Surcharge (DSS) was authorized.

The board voted 3 to 2 for Option 1 – to pay all vendors in full, without even asking the vendors to negotiate the old debt.

Fellow Board Member BJ Slone and I thought the local vendors should be offered the chance to negotiate for a lesser amount in order to help pay off the debt faster.

Chairman Jimmy Don Kerr stated that if he were one of those to whom the old debt was owed, he would be “insulted” to be asked to negotiate down the old debt. He also stated that he was so glad that our water system will finally be free of debt.

With option 1, the vendors would be immediately satisfied and they would get paid faster. If local vendors would take a cut on what they’re owed, the total loan amount would be less, the district would be able to pay off the total more quickly, and the DSS would go away sooner.

Since 2018, the minimum rate for water has been raised 84 percent, which includes a monthly “debt service surcharge.” This surcharge will continue until the current million-dollar loan is paid off, which will take between 15-20 years.

We are not out of debt.

This board decision can only be interpreted as meaning that it is OK to require the ratepayers to pay for the old debt, but it is not OK to ask local businesses to sacrifice even a portion of the old debt – which they surely had enough sense to write off on their taxes as a loss years ago.

I am NOT saying that these businesses are any more responsible for the bad debt or poor situation of the water system than the rest of our fellow citizens. However, I still offer our local business leaders a chance to give back to the water system if their circumstances warrant and can assure them that any money they give would be used only to help our water system get out of debt faster.

For those of my fellow citizens and county leaders who might appreciate a Biblical reference, I offer a possible suggestion: James Chapter 2, Verses 2-9.