Desert Messenger

September 3, 2014 www.DesertMessenger.com 3 SEE RATES PAGE 4 DUMP THE DRUGS in Quartzsite! Do you have expired or unused medications? Dispose safely at QUARTZSITE POLICE DEPT. Mon - Fri. 8am-5pm Sponsored by QSAPC Quartzsite Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition 1240 W. MAIN ST. Located Directly across from McDonald‛s in Quartzsite! Open DAILY 10am-4:30pm OPEN YEAR ROUND! Pays top dollar for: Scrap Gold, Gold Coins, Dental Gold, All gold Marked 10K, 14K, 18K Foreign Coins, Silver Coins, Old U. S. Coins, Proof Sets. All Type Coins, Old U.S. and Foreign Paper Money, Famous Autographs. JIM BUYS GOLD NEED CASH? Local resident dies in I-10 crash Sunday, August 24 DEADLINE : WED. SEPT. 10 for Sept. 17 TH edition Desert Messenger Email: editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 www.DesertMessenger.com QUARTZSITE, Ariz. - Just before 9:30 a.m., Sunday, a two-vehicle fatal crash closed eastbound I-10 in Quartzsite, Arizona. According to Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS), Robert Ben- nett, 31, of Quartzsite, drove west- bound in the eastbound lanes of I-10 hitting a semi truck head-on. Bennett was killed in the crash and the semi truck driver, identifi ed as Julio Godinez, 58, of Hialeah, Florida, suffered minor injuries. Earlier that day, Quartzsite Police Department, had responded to a domestic violence call involving Bennett. According to law enforce- ment reports, Bennett left the scene of that incident. Quartzsite Police followed but called off the chase before Bennett drove west on the eastbound lanes of the freeway. The Arizona Department of Public Safety's Vehicular Crimes Unit is investigating the crash. The inves- tigation is in the early stages but detectives will look into the events leading up to the crash. Interstate 10, eastbound, was closed at Exit 1 (Ehrenberg) in Ari- zona, backing traffi c up for miles into Blythe, California. The freeway reopened around 6:40 p.m., Sun- day night. See obituary for Robert Bennett on Page 17 of this edition. Community members have set up a memorial fund for Robert's daugh- ter on GoFundMe at http://www.gofundme.com/do1jtc. ROCKS IN MY HEAD The World's Greatest Rock, Prospecting & Outdoor Education Company RICE RANCH SPACE A37 Quartzsite, AZ OPEN Nov. thru March GOLD, SILVER, BUY & SELL Unique Rocks & Fossils Cabs - Rough - Slabs METEORITES-PETRIFIED WOOD Dino Bone & Mammoth Ivory Animal Parts & Leather Native American Artifacts Jewelry - Supplies - Beads GOLD PROSPECTING ROCKHOUNDING - LAPIDARY New-Used-Parts-Supplies Books-Maps-Local Site Info CONSIGNMENTS - RENTALS CLASSES - DEMOS QUARTZSITE PROSPECTING T-Shirts, Totebags, & More! Outdoor & Emergency Supplies EQUIPMENT RENTAL Specializing in Unusual & Hard to Find Items www.RocksInMyHead.com 605-376-8754 Corner of Moon Mt. & Cowell • Quartzsite • 928-927-5400 QUARTZSITE'S ONLY YEAR ROUND SALON Sandy and Debbie ARE HERE FOR ALL YOUR OPEN YEAR ROUND! Hair, Massage, Manicure and Pedicure Services By Shanana Rain Golen-Bear Quartzsite Town Council held a public hearing Tuesday, August 26th during their regular meet- ing. Council members voted 5 to 2 to raise water rates that will take effect on increase on October 1st. Mayor Foster and Mary Scott voted against the increase. Atkins Engineering was hired by council to perform a study of the current water rates. The most sig- nifi cant fi nding of this rate study is that the Town is signifi cantly under collecting for the costs associated with the operations and mainte- nance of the water system. According to the study, "in Fiscal Year 2013 only $765,000 was col- lected under the current rates. The Town's Fiscal Year 2014 water sys- tem budget is $1,224,296 or 60% higher than the current water rates are generating as revenue to fund the water system. It should be not- ed that the Town did not increase their water rates from 2001 to 2009 and then only implemented two years of a proposed fi ve-year rate increase program. Rates have not been increased since 2011." Town Engineer Kevin Murphy explained the adjusted rate struc- ture to council members. Scott asked Murphy explain how much the average residential customer will be impacted. Murphy said a typical residential customer now pays $38.89/month. Beginning in October that rate will increase by $12.12 to $51.01. The fi rst component of the rate structure is a fi xed monthly service charge. The second component of the Town's water rate structure is the commodity fl at rate per 1000 gallons of water consumed by the customer. Murphy said, "This is more equitable than the current structures and eliminates interclass subsidies and simplifi es the rate structure." Council approves water rate increase to take effect October 1st

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