Banana stand

There's always money somewhere

After months of mounting worries about the Sewerage & Water Board’s finances, it turns out the public utility ended 2018 with plenty of cash in the bank.

A last-minute infusion of more than $20 million in reimbursements from FEMA and the discovery of $25 million that had not previously been accounted for pulled the S&WB out of a downward spiral that had caused it to draw down most of its reserves throughout the fall, officials said Wednesday.

Okay so there isn't always $20 million in FEMA money. But it is almost always possible for an agency like S&WB to find the money it needs somewhere before it starts trying to squeeze it out of the most vulnerable people by threatening to turn their water off or brake their legs or whatever.