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Maintaining utilities like water, gas, and electricity has always been key in a functional city. <br />When cities maintain these services, they better support the needs of their citizens and support things such <br />as the economy, sustainability, and efficiency. As a child and even now I've never had an issue with <br />necessities such as water and electricity, or the inessentials like parks, most noticeably Orono which gave <br />me a lake to swim in and a jungle gym to do whatever I wanted which helped my creation of memories <br />that I will cherish forever. Control of utilities has made my life much easier and is a contribution to my <br />success. <br />One major benefit of the control of utilities is the promotion of sustainability. For example, my <br />local government can implement rules and regulations surrounding the management of resources. <br />Evidence of this in our own town can be seen at YAC, with the wind turbine by the Football field. As <br />well, energy conservation recycling bins are another way in which sustainability. This is seen whenever I <br />leave the house, because whenever I toss out my garbage, it makes me consider if it is recyclable. <br />Another benefit of recycling is its enhancement of efficiency. When utilities are managed locally, <br />decision -making happens much quicker than it would at a larger scale. This causes changes to occur much <br />quicker. I noticed this with the reconstruction of Orono, mainly with the new bathroom facilities and the <br />leaking of the lake. I also observed this when electricity went out at my house, because it only took a little <br />while for the breaker to be fixed. <br />Economic development is also stimulated by local municipal utilities. The local control of utilities <br />does this by creating jobs. For example, I have friends who work for municipal utilities and they've only <br />had good things to say from their experience. Also, when the utilities are managed locally, they're most <br />likely kept supplied and contracted by local businesses. This helps money flow in our local economy <br />rather than be outsourced to bigger firms and suppliers. The income provided by these utilities can also be <br />used to enhance more jobs, such as the renovating of our schools like Lincoln Elementary. <br />Finally, a benefit of maintaining municipal utilities in a city is the ability to create community <br />engagement. If utilities are controlled locally, the citizens of that town will feel more obligated to take <br />care of it and in return will build a sense of unity. A personal anecdote, I have, is when I played baseball <br />42 <br />