{"id":1544,"date":"2023-06-20T14:23:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-20T14:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mikescott4ivins.com\/?p=1544"},"modified":"2023-06-30T22:13:03","modified_gmt":"2023-06-30T22:13:03","slug":"will-you-still-love-me-when-im-64","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mikescott4ivins.com\/?p=1544","title":{"rendered":"Will You Still Love Me When I\u2019m 64?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We use our roads, sewer lines, and storm drains every day, but do we ever really think about them? Most of that infrastructure was paid for by developers in impact fees on new construction. But when it all wears out, the replacement cost falls to us. So, will you still love it when it\u2019s 64?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More importantly, 20th century philosopher McCartney asked two other pivotal questions. Will you still need it? Will you still feed it? The answers are obvious, except for the last one: Will you still \u201cfeed\u201d it? Replacing our infrastructure will be expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, most of it is still relatively young. We shouldn\u2019t see the need for significant replacements for another twenty years, maybe longer. But that doesn\u2019t mean we should adopt the J. Wellington Wimpy philosophy; I\u2019ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today. It\u2019s a stretch to say we are \u201cenjoying\u201d our sewer lines today, but we are using them every day, and they are slowly wearing out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believe it\u2019s our responsibility as a city, as a community, to figure out what our long-term infrastructure needs are and plan for replacement. We have not been doing that, and we\u2019re not alone. I believe few if any cities in the state have taken that leap. To paraphrase, let\u2019s not kick the road down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news is, we are taking the first step. I have been working with city staff to figure out how much infrastructure we have, how long it will last, and what it will cost to replace. I\u2019ve been at it for a little over a month and it will take at least a few more months to figure everything out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But here\u2019s a preliminary look at where we\u2019re at. We need to set aside $3.5 million a year starting now to replace our roads, sewer lines, and storm drains when they wear out. The final numbers will probably be higher. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To put that in perspective, Ivins expects to collect a little more than $4 million dollars in the next year from property, sales, and use taxes and all of that money (and more) is needed just for the normal day-to-day operation of the city.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

We have four options for dealing with our infrastructure. We can (1) do nothing, (2) do something, (3) do everything, or (4) just do the math so everyone knows what\u2019s ahead. Doing nothing is what we\u2019ve been doing but it\u2019s not a good option. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believe that prioritizing infrastructure replacement is critical to the long-term sustainability and livability of our community. But it\u2019s expensive. So, help me out. What option do we choose and how do we get there? This is a tough issue. I really need your input. Individually we are smart. Together, as a community, we are brilliant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Please share your comments on this topic and tell me about<\/em><\/strong>
other Ivins<\/a> issues I have not addressed in recent posts.<\/em> <\/strong>
Email me at Mike@MikeScott4Ivins.com<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We use our roads, sewer lines, and storm drains every day, but do we ever really think about them? Most of that infrastructure was paid for by developers in impact…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,23,12,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-finance","category-public-services","category-transportation","category-water"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t