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GREED KILLS

May 24 letter to Blaine City Council: Given that one third of our population isn't playing with a full deck, and this is no barrier to public service, our hopes for reasonable outcomes are necessarily tempered by this unfortunate reality. Civil society is hampered by inadequate funding, while public servants serve themselves. Sustainability isn't even possible under this scenario. When you add in the ethically impaired and financially conflicted, as we have in abundance in Blaine public officials, our future is something to dread. Our utility bills are about to skyrocket to pay for utility infrastructure upgrades to subsidize developers, and Blaine Community Development Services wants you to eliminate public participation. By your actions to subsidize developers and line your own pockets, you are telling low-income seniors and others on fixed incomes that they have no place in Blaine's future, except as ratepayers to be bled dry by your greedy, self-centered ambitions.
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UTILITY RATE INCREASES FOR BLAINE AND BIRCH BAY

Blaine's growth ambitions require massive capital investment to expand and upgrade utility infrastructure and those costs flow directly to ratepayers . A ccelerating infrastructure buildout for new development creates a pent-up rate increase scenario. Utility Financial Solutions LLC has been engaged to develop a six-year rate strategy for all four utilities (electric, potable water, sewer, stormwater), with new rates targeted for January 1, 2027 . The City's own budget includes a line item for a Water Rate Study as part of the 2026 utility engineering services, confirming that rate restructuring is actively underway. The City's 2026 budget reflects $1,236,640 in "City Light-Water-WW Utility Tax" revenue flowing into the General Fund — meaning the city taxes its own utility operations and channels the proceeds to general government. Residents effectively pay twice — once for utility service, and again through embedded utility taxes that subsidize city operatio...
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