Can We Afford the Proposed “STEP” System?
SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCES WOULD PAY AS MUCH AS 3 YEARS’ SALARY ON AVERAGE. THE STEP SYSTEM COST IS 20 TIMES THE COMBINED BUDGETS OF MEMBER MUNICIPALITIES.
- The median household income is $35,625 for the Village of Bear Lake, $37,250 for Pleasanton Township, $39,909 for Bear Lake Township, and $42,083 for Onekama Township.[1] This system is certainly not affordable when it will cost an average user as much as three years’ salary.
- Many area residents are retirees on fixed incomes. Imposing a new burden of $225.79 per month means having to spend $225.79 less on necessities like, food, housing, and health care.
- Many lakefront properties in the district are owned by seasonal residents, many of which are burdened by two mortgages. This makes the proposed project a substantial burden on everyone, not just full-time residents.
- From a community perspective, $58,968,000.00 is an enormous commitment for four relatively small municipalities. The combined budgets of the four member municipalities is $2,915,177, making the project’s construction cost twenty times existing budgets. This is analogous to a family making $50,000 per year taking out a mortgage on a $1 million house, a move most would consider financially irresponsible.
[1] “Two Lakes Collaborative Sewer Authority Preliminary Engineering Assessment,” Wade Trim, Feb. 3, 2023, p. 5.