Published: December 12, 2008 09:14 pm      

Waltonville votes to leave RLCD

By TESA CULLI

tesa.culli@register-news.com

WALTONVILLE — Village trustees have followed the lead of Elk Prairie Township in passing a resolution asking to be removed from the Rend Lake Conservancy District.

“We did it mainly to show unity,” Waltonville interim mayor Randy Dees said. “I want to reiterate that this is really not an act against Mt. Vernon, we appreciate getting water from them. And, we really appreciate RLCD. But the way things have been done over the years affects people and it’s not their fault.”

Elk Prairie Township, which includes the city of Nason, approved a resolution to detach from the conservancy district. George Gifford, former mayor of Waltonville, prepared the resolutions and presented the issue to the two governmental boards. Gifford resigned as the mayor of Waltonville in August and was replaced by Dees.

Since his resignation, Gifford has been running a grass roots campaign to encourage the village and as well as Elk Prairie and McClellan townships to detach from the district. Gifford contends the area pays real estate taxes to RLCD, but since there is a contract between RLCD and Mt. Vernon not to sell water to any Mt. Vernon customers — and Waltonville is a Mt. Vernon water customer — the area receives no benefits from the district.

Gifford has also questioned the district for entering into a 25 year contract extension in 2006 with Mt. Vernon. Mt. Vernon is also currently in negotiations with the village on its contract to purchase water, which expires in February.

At this time, Waltonville purchases water from Mt. Vernon and Waltonville sells water to residents in McClellan and Elk Prairie Townships.

“We have been looking at alternatives to our water situation and Mt. Vernon and RLCD,” Dees said. “We have been in talks, and it’s very positive. ... When the contract was done in 2006, it would have been nice if we had been notified. I think that’s why this is going on.”

Dees said the resolution passed this week doesn’t affect the village’s negotiations with Mt. Vernon.

“Our negotiations are strictly with the city,” Dees said. “[Mt. Vernon City Manager] Ron Neibert and [RLCD General Manager Keith] Thomason have been very helpful, and we’ve learned a lot about our water system that we didn’t know before all of this.”