AUBURN –Auburn Mayor Chris Erickson told an overflowing crowd at the Auburn City Council meeting Monday that he has heard enough in opposition to the city plan to fill the swimming pool this year despite a city-declared water emergency.

Erickson: “I truly understand your position, okay?

Jenika Mullins: “So is my time being stopped?

Erickson: “Okay, but I said we’re not going to talk about the pool anymore.”

Mullins: “You won’t talk about the pool anymore when that’s why everyone is here.”

Mullins: “Can I just utilize my time? You’re the only one in this room shouting people down because you’re the only one in this room who doesn’t care about that 325,000 gallons of water.”

 

The mayor said discussion should be limited to the motion at hand, which was an ordinance to establish a fine for people who violate water conservation orders during a stage 3 water emergency.

Mullins said the conservation orders forbid the filling of swimming pools so the city should set an example by not filling the public pool until rainfall begins to re-charge the city’s water table.

 

 

 

Several people spoke in opposition to orders that ban people from watering vegetable gardens and postured that the city is not in position to find violators unless citizens start turning each other in for using a garden hose.

Melissa Waddel: “It’s hard enough to bring a community together. I think if you’re going to have to start tattling on each other, that’s going to tear our community apart, completely.”

At one point, during the exchange between Mullins and Mayor Erickson, the mayor asked Sheriff Brent Lottman to intervene and  City Councilman Tom Clark moved for adjournment to settle the meeting down.

Clark: “I make a motion for adjournment to meet at the call of the mayor.”

The adjournment motion failed 2 to 4.

 

Mullins: “This is insane to me that you sit up here and I’m going to call you out, you sit up here okay with the fact that we’re filling up a pool , but you’re not looking out for the livelihood of your people. We are your people. This is your town mayor.”

Erickson said the city’s Board of Public Works is allowing car washes and the pool will be filled over a long-enough period of time that it is not expected to deplete the aquifer or city water wells.

Melissa Fowler: “Why not have the pool do a fundraiser (to have water trucked in)?

Mayor Erickson: “Okay, real quick. I understand that, but this ordinance has nothing to do with the swimming pool, so …"

Fowler: “I’m a diabetic. I can’t have a garden (by water restriction) I can my food. I freeze my food. I work two jobs.”

Mayor Erickson: “I understand that.”

Fowler: “I don’t think you do.”

 

 

Councilman Nathan Seitz said the target of penalties is unabashed offenders.

Seitz: “I don’t think you’re going to get people turning people in for watering a plant out front, at least I hope not. That wouldn’t be what I would turn somebody in for, but if I saw somebody put in a nice, 10,000 gallon swimming pool in their front yard and I saw them running three hoses into it, I might be a little concerned about that.”

The penalty ordinance passed with councilmen Shawn Clark and Johnny Curtright dissenting.