55 Kelly Ct.

Shady Cove, Or.

97539

(541) 878-7658

June 12, 2001

Dear Mayor Anderson,

I am writing regarding a letter I received from a Mr. Arthur Smith, and Shady Cove Council Members Henson and Wendt. From what I understand, they are on a self appointed committee called the " Organizing Committee to Create the Shady Cove Water District."

Before I get to the questions that I'm hoping you can help get answered for me regarding the letter from Mr. Smith and the two Council Members, I just wanted to see if you might ask them if they still remember the prior two votes on the water issue in 1992 and 1999? As the Mayor of the City of Shady Cove I m sure that you're aware that you are representing the people of Shady Cove. As a citizen, and registered voter, I am asking you to inquire to Mr. Henson and Mr. Wendt, and their self appointed committee as to why they and their committee are trying to subvert the will of the registered voters of the City of Shady Cove that exercised their constitutional right in 1992 and 1999, and answer the following questions in this letter. If you are not aware of he letter of to which I am referring, then I m sure that Council Member's Henson and Wendt can get you a copy.

Now, onto Mr. Henson, Mr. Wendt, and the self appointed committee's letter. The concerns are in order as they appear in the letter. As far as option (1) is concerned as mentioned in the letter "owner does not want water," it should have been deleted from the letter as a choice, because as the letter states, "if you are included in the district, then you will be treated as if you had said that owner wants water later" totally exempting the choice of "owner does not want water." This causes the person to have to pay for the water anyway. What kind of choice is that? No choice at all.

The letter refers to asking the "Jackson County commissioners to approve the boundaries of the proposed district." To me this is subverting the will of the well-informed voters, and citizens of Shady Cove. Did these Council Members and self appointed committee, forget the two prior votes on the water bills? I don't see how this can be legal. Sounds pretty shady to me (pun intended).

On agreeing and abiding by the "rules of the water district," could you please find out who decides the rules? Certainly not the voters or the user s of the water in the subverted "district." What are the penalties for not following them? Let me guess, death or taxes? Must be taxes (fees or fines-same thing). I don' t think these Council Members and self appointed committee are self-righteous enough to choose death, so they will just fine the crap out of the rule breakers. Doesn't sound very Democratic to me. Sounds more like a Gestapo tactic.

On "expecting the rates to be an average of $30 to $40 for a single family unit," to me means that it is subject to change, and this will be the very minimum, so be prepared to get screwed water users in the (subvert the will of the people) "district"of Shady Cove.

On " a connection fee based on the then current System Development Charge," what kind of mumbo-jumbo is that? Sounds like the Council Members and self appointed committee are going to really slam some hard working, tax paying property owners well (pun intended)! Who decides this anyway? Certainly not the registered voters of Shady Cove. Not good. On the " fire protection" issue, aren't I already paying property taxes for fire protection? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe I am right, so the Council Member's and the self appointed committee is trying to sell a benefit that already exists. These guys are bad, I hope you can do something about this.

I can see it now: water is brought to my tax lot. The "district" decides that since it's there, I must pay for it, and when I refuse, a tax lien is placed on my property by the city and the "district." My house is eventually foreclosed on for something that the voter's didn't want anyway, and because I refused to pay it. Man, these Council Members and self appointed committee members are really bad. This is still America, isn't it?

Possibly last, but not least, I m assuming that the water is to come from the mighty Rogue River. Who s to say that after a short period of time that the little scheme of the Council Members and the self appointed committee goes into effect, the "Feds" don't come in and say "hey! You're endangering the salmon," so the water "district" must be shut down! Don't think it can happen? Remember Klamath Falls, I.E. current events. Also, please refer to the attached article from the Medford Mail Tribune that was on the front page on Tuesday, June 5, 2001 titled, "Reduced River Flow Threatens the Chinook." http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2001/june/060501n1.htm Do these Council Members and self-appointed committee really think that the "Feds" give a crap about a town of 2500 people? I don't. So what will these Council Members and "citizens of the committee for the district" do then? Are they just going to pack their things and go back to California after bilking the fixed income residents of Shady Cove out of tens of thousands of dollars to benefit a few builders and land developers for something that the voter's didn't want in the first place? It wouldn't surprise me.

In closing: It just blows me away that if a few people with a little bit of money don't get their way, they will try to get around it and subvert the will of the people. Though I have not researched it thoroughly yet, I'm sure that there are some builders and land developers on their committee. I think I'll start a committee against "The Organizing Committee to Create the ( Slim ) Shady Cove Water District," and I'll start by getting a list of registered voters from the Courthouse, just like they got my name, and forward the registered voters a copy of this letter. I hope that you as the Mayor of the City of Shady Cove will prevent me from having to do this, and represent the will of the people, and registered voters, and put a stop to this nonsense. It is a terrible plan. Follow the money, and you will find the motivation!

I look forward to your response on this matter soon. Please feel free to call or stop by anytime.

Very Seriously,

David W. Rayburn

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