Don’t worry - the water is safe to drink! But it may be going bankrupt soon! The Evergreen Water-Sewer District No. 19 which represents the Kendall area has been riddled with controversy and problems since a state audit in March criticized the lack of a formal budget and over $400,000 spent on contracts without formal approval.

In addition, one of the commissioners recently became the district manager and another commissioner’s spouse negotiated with lawyers on behalf of the district. Hmm….can we say conflict of interest?!

On top of all this, commissioners Gordon Travis and Jutta Ahmed passed a plan that will lower water bills by $20. I like saving $20 as much as the next person, but I also like to know that the service will be around a year from now! Under the new plan, the district will lose approximately $10,000 per month! I guess they forgot to hire an accountant!

Not enough controversy for you yet? How about this: the district was granted a $4 million loan to complete some desperately needed repairs. The commissioners are considering delaying the project, which could cause them to lose that loan. Seems to me that the $10,000 they started giving back to residents each month could work as a loan payment.

The drama continued on December 20 at a district meeting that dissolved into shouting and insults. The commissioners (yes, the same two as before!) voted to make the crowd be silent. I guess they didn’t like having opposition.

If there are any Kendall residents out there, we would love to hear your thoughts and perspectives on this. Are we missing something?