RUTLAND, Vt. -
In one of the longest meetings in
recent history, the board of aldermen in Rutland could not make a decision on
whether to add monochloramine to the city water supply.
The 11-member board voted against
allowing monochloramine to be added to the water. And the board also rejected a
second option-- having voters decide whether to filter out organic matter
instead of treating the water with a chemical. Because of the multimillion
dollar price tag on the second option, the alderman couldn't approve it alone,
but could have voted to put it on the November ballot.
The mayor, public works commissioner
and chairman of the public works committee say adding chloramine or doing the
multimillion dollar filtration system are the only two viable options for the
city to get up to Environmental
Protection Agency standards by the 2013 deadline.
"I don't think last
night was a good example of how local government was supposed to work. We were
there, we looked at everything very thoroughly, we talked ourselves into a
stupor and when it was all said and done, we went home without accomplishing
anything. And I don't think that's why the 11 members of the board were
elected," said William Notte, a member of the Rutland board of aldermen
and chair of the public works committee.
The board has until Sept.
10 to put the item on the November ballot or the commissioner of public works
will have to make an executive decision.
Related Story:
Monochloramine meets resistance in Rutland
