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The Niagara Falls Water Board has been in a state of stress.
Making the residents pay among the highest water and sewer rates in New York is not easy. Some of that stress is unavoidable, caused by the high cost of maintaining decaying infrastructure and chemical prices going through the roof. Then there is the cost of keeping lifetime healthcare promised to retirees. Proposed changes to that benefit brought angry masses to the city council recently.
Recently, Gov. Kathy Hochul tossed Gretchen Leffler, a member serving on an expired term from the board and replaced her with Rick Sirianni.
Chairman Nicholas Forster is an appointee of Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino whose appointment expires Dec. 31.
Other members include Colleen Larkin, an appointee of State Sen. Rob Ortt, Renae Kimble, who serves at the pleasure of Assemblyman Angelo Morinello and Michael Asklar, an appointee of Niagara Falls Council.
Kimble and Larkin are on expired terms. Asklar was appointed by the last council with a term that expires Dec. 31, 2025.
In Erie County, the average water bill is $56 per quarter. In Niagara Falls, if you pay it a couple days late, (oops) your minimum is $147.38 every quarter.
Somehow that makes the current arguments over the water board, and its reputation as a corrupt patronage pit, even more distasteful.
It's interesting to note, public perception is when the word "authority" is involved, whether power, transportation, or water, incompetent and corrupt management soon follows.
More to come tomorrow.
