Let’s be frank — Mayor Sam Teresi’s plan to sell the Board of Public Utilities’ wastewater treatment plant to the Jamestown Local Development Corporation is a gimmick.

The city is selling an asset from one arm of city government to another arm of city government. It is a sale in accounting only that is expected to raise between $16 and $20 million in working capital for the city.

City officials plan to use proceeds from the sale for things the city hasn’t had money to pay for in its yearly budget. The proposed list, which isn’t finalized, includes replacing sanitary sewer lines and slip lining; upgrading the wastewater treatment plant; replacing or reconstructing water mains; continued energy or structural improvement programs for city facilities; enhanced storm water management improvement programs; Public Works and Parks departments equipment replacement fund; a debt service and sewer rate stabilization fund; and a future property tax reserve with additional property tax and rate relief.

From that perspective, the plan to “sell” the treatment plant makes sense. It takes care of short-term needs for which the city is in no position to borrow and provides some ability to lower taxes for a few years. As evidenced by two serious water main breaks on North Main Street in the past two years, the city’s water infrastructure is old and in need of replacement. We have heard for decades the pleas of city workers and department heads who need better equipment. City taxpayers are in desperate need of tax relief.

Other than the ability of the JLDC to serve as the purchaser, which now appears to be the subject of litigation, there is one question city officials need to answer — what happens next?

“Selling” the wastewater treatment plan to the JLDC doesn’t drastically change the city’s financial picture except for creating an additional revenue line the city can use for tax relief. The problem with a gimmick like this is that it can only be done once. Wastewater users will be paying bonds from the “sale” for decades and we know for a fact the tax stabilization portion of the sale proceeds won’t last nearly that long. City contracts and benefits will continue increasing year over year. When the tax stabilization portion of the sale proceeds are gone, the city’s fixed costs will still be a problem. Is the sale something meant to buy the city additional time to lower employee and retiree costs? If so, the question remains — what actions come next? How does this fit into an overall plan to bring fiscal sanity to the city budget?

Call the “sale” what you will — a gimmick, a shell game, a scheme or robbing Peter to pay Paul. Just don’t call it the end of the city’s financial issues.