Should Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Purchase the Kentucky American Water System? A Policy and Economic Analysis of the Factors That Will Affect the Decision
Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online January, 2003
Should Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Purchase the Kentucky American Water System? A Policy and Economic Analysis of the Factors That Will Affect the Decision
Several events in recent years have raised the public policy question of whether or not citizens in several central Kentucky counties are best served by a privately held water utility company. Among these events arc the 1999 drought and the recent purchase of the water utility by an international company. Citizens and public officials worry that local water needs might be overlooked in the waves of international transactions managed by a privately owned global enterprise. Local control could be maintained vis-à-vis a public buyout of the water utility. This paper explores the ramifications of this option by analyzing the political and economic consequences of a public buyout.
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