Chronicle Editorial

Utilizing our utilities

 

     Recent discussion from the city council has explored possible funding opportunities to improve crumbling infrastructure in Hampton’s downtown district. The current proposal would affect local taxpayers’ pocketbooks, but it’s an expense residents must be willing to pay if they want progress in the near future.

     The council has considered implementing a citywide “franchise fee” to generate revenue for downtown road repairs. The fee would be assessed to MidAmerican Energy at rates ranging between 1 and 5 percent, which would get passed on to the consumer’s monthly energy bill. The company would collect revenue generated from the fee and send it to the city to use as it sees fit. In Hampton’s case, that would mean road repairs.

     Franchise fees have slowly gained popularity in communities across the state recently. According to IowaUtility.org, 77 Iowa cities had adopted fees at varying rates as of August 2014. However, these measures aren’t implemented by a simple council vote. Franchise fees are placed on the ballot during an election and decided by the public. Councils can choose to waive this step, but that decision is still subject to a referendum if enough signatures are gathered on a petition.

     A franchise fee in Hampton could be met with resistance, but it’s clear downtown roads and other streets need serious attention. Many are cracked, severely potholed and bumpy. It’s easy to complain, but actually doing something is an entirely different matter. The situation will only continue to deteriorate unless serious discussion addresses obvious funding needs, and that seems to be happening.

     Council members indicated at last week’s meeting that residents they’ve spoken to support a franchise fee in Hampton. Of course, those opinions only represent a small sample of the local constituency. As the city debates its next steps, it’s important that residents contact their council member and express their thoughts on the matter. This will be a key issue in the future and the council should have as much input as possible before it moves forward.

     Nothing has been set in stone at this point. However, a franchise fee seems like a plausible funding option for future road repairs in Hampton. Nobody likes to pay more on their energy bill, but nobody likes driving on busted roads, either. A franchise fee might be the city’s best option at tackling a problem that will only get worse if it chooses to do nothing.

 

Harkin, Latham leave big shoes to fill

 

     Two of Iowa’s most well-known politicians will wrap up their careers this month following 60 years of combined service in Washington. While they might come from opposing sides of the aisle, the pair represented our state’s interests well throughout their notable tenures.

     Sen. Tom Harkin and Rep. Tom Latham chose not to seek re-election this year. That came as a surprise to many and led to two memorable campaigns to find their replacements. Some Iowans probably wished Harkin and Latham would have stayed, but our state will move forward nonetheless.

     The two men leave very different legacies. Harkin was known as staunch liberal that played a crucial role in many pieces of legislation during his 40-year career. Latham was more moderate and earned bipartisan admiration during his 20-year stint in the House. However, both represented Iowa’s values and interests in some way or another, and that won’t be forgotten here anytime soon.

     Iowa is losing two powerful figureheads in Washington. The state should be proud it had politicians like Harkin and Latham representing them for so many years at the national level. They leave some big shoes to fill, and their replacements have a lot of work to do if they hope to have the same sort of impact.

Hampton Chronicle

9 Second Street NW
Hampton, IA 50441
Phone: 641-456-2585
Fax: 1-800-340-0805
Email: news@midamericapub.com

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