In a press release, the municipal faction representing the largest minority in the City Council «ALL TOGETHER» reveals a new «tax»—as they call it—imposed by the municipal administration, which requires the payment of a sewerage fee for residences that are not connected to the sewer system, let alone the fact that there is no network in their area. But read the press release.
Kythira, Friday, March 29, 2024
PRESS RELEASE «ALL TOGETHER, KYTHIRA – ANTIKYTHIRA»
The residents of Kythira should not be unfairly “targeted”
Dozens of Kythirians were surprised to recently receive consolidated sewer bills. (e.g., the village of Trifyllianika) The strange thing is that many of them are not connected to any sewer system, and there isn’t even a sewer system nearby!
In response to the residents’ reasonable complaints, the relevant department of our municipality replied «File an objection». Our staff members went to the relevant departments of the Municipality of Kythira, where they received Application for Waiver of Sewer Fees (the application is attached) so they can submit it. The required supporting documents include «a sworn statement or technical report from a licensed plumber or civil engineer»… In short, to avoid being charged for services they don’t provide, they’re suggesting that we pay for a civil engineer or plumber ourselves. (in fact, a licensed one…) to prove that «we’re not elephants»… What does Mayor Haratsakis have to say about this?;
The argument that they are trying in this way to uncover old connections is, in fact, an example of the policies of Mr. Mayor’s faction, which prefers to impose arbitrary taxes on both the righteous and the unrighteous rather than supporting the residents. This comes as no surprise to us, as we are familiar with the way the current municipal administration thinks and acts….
Our political group, «All Together, Kythira-Antikythira,» has the following comments:
a) Despite its promises, the municipal majority continues to make it a standard practice to issue consolidated financial statements for previous years.
b) The April 29 deadline will catch many property owners outside of Kythira off guard and prevent them from filing an appeal.
c) The logical course of action would be to send an explanatory document along with the invoices and to attach a sample sworn statement of objection. But common sense is clearly lacking!
OUR PROPOSAL:
To address the practical problem of recording old connections, we recommend that consumers submit a sworn statement confirming that no connection exists WITHOUT third-party fees.
The municipality should issue a public statement on the matter, explaining the situation. .
The City Council should pass a resolution to extend the due date for sewer bills until August 31, so that those who were absent have a reasonable amount of time to file objections.
The leader of the largest minority group on the Kythira-Antikythira Municipal Council, Mr. Zacharias Souris, stated the following: «We call on the municipal authorities to adopt our proposals for the benefit of the residents and to restore the lost credibility of the Municipality of Kythira. In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a municipality cannot afford to ignore what services it provides and to whom»…
