Nestle Treatment was Discrimination

Dear Editor,

Citizens, corporations/companies, and developers interested in Waitsburg, BEWARE!! New “normal” established whereby “MAJORITY” declared by elected officials as he/she who protests loudest, acts rudest/profane/interruptive, and/or displays most signs. Officials acknowledge Waitsburg laws indicate how development should be handled, with Council and Public input only after examination by city staff and planning commission; and that city’s treatment of Nestle was unusual, not how other developments are addressed probably not ethical, honest, or legal!

No official vote on Nestle’s proposal for water bottling plant occurred, just “tally” by council member in a meeting. NO FACTS were given by city or Nestle (excluded from meeting). Instead misleading statements were issued by MAJORITY, including non-Waitsburg residents, and Facebook petition against Nestle submitted (“1,200+ signatures”, with nominal signatures from Waitsburg, about half of those “anonymous”, and balance from around the world and US).

New development process is in Title 10 Waitsburg Municipal Code and Comprehensive Plan. Code and plan changes are legal process with citizen input. Council should stay with laws for a reason – they are elected to uphold them, their duty even in difficult situations!! From code the use was legally permissible, size of project was allowable, and process existed whereby Nestle could address impacts on water, wastewater, traffic, and other. No code prohibits international corporations from developing. Nestle’s treatment by MAJORITY is discrimination of a different color and dangerous path taken by city to consider it!!

Before council’s decision against Nestle, my 4-page letter included:

Proposed water use was 14% of City’s system capacity of 1.052 million gallons per year.

No water rights would be given away, nor would trucks drive around watershed; Nestle would be a municipal water user, like all other users in town turning their faucets on.

From studies on Nestle Cascade Locks proposal, a similar size as Waitsburg’s, $50 million facility could support 30 local permanent jobs, and with multiplier effects, 97 full and part-time employment; $2.8 million labor income, and $32.0 million total output. Construction impacts were 356 full and part-time employment, $11.6 million labor income, and $35.3 million total output.

MAJORITY! Consider water to produce “darlings” of our area economy as supported by Nature Conservancy, UN, and other:

Gallons Water

Gallon Bottled Water 1.5

Cup Coffee 37

Glass Wine 6 - 31

Bottle Beer 15 - 30

Serving of Chocolate 2,847

Apple 18

Beef (Pound) 1,500

Waitsburg!! RESPECT laws for interested developers!!

Deborah A. Foreman

Waitsburg