At our March 3, 2009 City Council meeting, I was happy to file the following resolution on behalf of the people of Holyoke to our state and federal legislators to get our fair share of the federal stimulus dollars earmarked for Massachusetts.
My resolution which was co-sponsored by Councilor John Whelihan was adopted unanimously.
Ordered,
Whereas, Holyoke has expended approximately $24 million on wastewater treatment renovations and upgrades to comply with state and federal environmental regulations regarding combined sewer overflows;
Whereas, Holyoke is among the very poorest communities in the Commonwealth and the 225% increase in sewer rates to fund the improvements has been very difficult for residents to manage;
Whereas, current federal law requires that the federal government pay at least 55% [$13.2 million] of any required improvements yet Holyoke has not received this assistance;
Be it further resolved, that the Holyoke City Council respectfully requests our state and federal legislators to provide Holyoke with these funds or as much as possible from the six to nine billion dollars in stimulus funds currently earmarked for Massachusetts. This relief would enable us to lower rates and directly impact our local economy.
Meeting date: March 3, 2009
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