Letter to the Editor: 09.07.2024

09.07.2024

To the Editor:

The residents of Oakville and Watertown will have the opportunity to question our leaders tonight, September 7, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. at the Watertown High School Auditorium regarding the lawsuit filed against Watertown by the City of Waterbury for the water and sewer underpayments made for the past 5 years.  The lawsuit resulted in an $18.8 million judgment against our Town.

If this meeting is to ensure our voices are heard as we “navigate this legal process”, it’s too late.  The opportunity should have been given to us years ago, before a judgment was rendered.  An appeal won’t fix this.  Even If the appellate court remands the matter back to the trial court to fix any errors, we will still be paying.

Mary Ann Rosa reported to the Waterbury Republican that all votes regarding this matter were done in open session over the last few years and that obviously people didn’t realize the impact.  I can find no open votes on this matter.  Not by the Town Council and not by the Water and Sewer Authority.  We have been kept in the dark, so how could we have any idea of the impact.  And none of our audits flagged this lawsuit as material.

I want to know by whom and when the decision was made to ignore the bills and why the voices of the residents of Oakville and Watertown were never heard during the pending litigation and prior to the decision to appeal.  What can our voices do now but express outrage?

Katherine Camara

Katherine Camara, 31 Cottage Place, Oakville, CT06779

203-592-2043