Lisa Maxwell and Lake Worth Utilities

Comment Up

Lake Worth Utilities
One of our most valuable assets

Lisa Maxwell has a campaign video out on Lake Worth Utilities. It is convincing for those unfamiliar with the facts. All that we as consumers understand is that electric is expensive and something must be done about it. Lisa's solution is to get rid of the Utility. Just sell the darn thing...out of sight, out of mind, let someone else deal with it.

That's the trouble with most politicians--they say what they think you want to hear without telling you everything or they are not up to snuff on the facts. Jeff Clemens as Mayor was a master of that. His solution to everything was to sell it or lease it to a developer or give it away to the County. He never considered good management and informed decisions were the keys to our success. Lisa seems to want to emulate him.

A few bring up selling our Utility every decade or so. This is one of our most valuable assets. Several years back it was called "Lakeworthless Utilities" because the power went out at the drop of a hat. No more. Right now, we are paying for an electrical utility upgrade as well as our Reverse Osmosis plant, both included in a $66 million bond. Infrastructure always has to be upgraded and maintained, something that the City has neglected in the past. While this is being done, we have to pay for it. We are of a dozen or so cities that has its own generation in Florida.
___________
Lisa Maxwell says, "A lot of people believe that we produce our own electricity and that's not the case. We have a distribution network and that's about it."
___________

But, she is WRONG.

We have three generators that produce power 10% of the time. We supply our base load from Stanton (Orlando Coal units) and St. Lucie (nuclear). We do produce electricity but our native or base load comes from outside sources which is perfectly normal for any municipality with electric generation assets. WE CAN'T generate more electricity because of the contract with FMPA. They alone can dispatch our generation.

We voted to get out of this contract because our electric rates are so high, and we will be contracting with new sources for an additional 10 – 20 megawatts to meet base load requirements. Our last day with FMPA will be around December 31, 2013 and all our new power contracts will be in effect by then. Also, the present commission just voted to reduce our rates as it has been listening to resident concerns. The Utility contracted with a professional who in turn conducted a Study that determined where we could reduce and lower rates in this upcoming budget cycle. Professionally conducted studies are something else this candidate has criticized. In the past, the city has gotten into very bad deals and contracts by NOT conducting studies thus making bad decisions that have produced disastrous results.

Lisa Maxwell's friend, Commissioner Scott Maxwell, was the one who made the motion to adopt the resolution to approve of the contract with FMPA on June 18, 2002. The mindset then was to have someone else take care of it, the easy way out. As it turned out, it became expensive. This was under the Rodney Romano regime, the start of many bad decisions for Lake Worth. The Contract was signed by Romano, Bo Allen, Mac McKinnon, Joe Egly and Maxwell. For $10 dollars, we assigned over all of our exclusive rights on our property through the term of the lease with FMPA.

As the former Electric Utility Task Force Chair said, “The new generation deal proposed by FMPA that was to be executed in 2010, was recommended by the city manager Paul Boyer, previous utility directors, previous engineering service manager, plant manager, bond counsel mayor, commissioner Vespo and other; was a rotten deal that would have put the city into an extended hardship under the burden of very high utility rates and no hope of relief for a half century." He further stated, that the city was "grossly misinformed about FMPA and our electric utility by the previous utility directors, previous engineering services manager, bond counsel, plant manager and others." Our 2010 commission voted not to renew with FMPA All Requirements. They were looking out for you.

Candidate for Mayor, Lisa Maxwell, wants to consider selling our Utility, the asset that has been keeping this city afloat-- one of the advantages of having our own utility. Without it, we might have had to file bankruptcy years ago. Once we get out of FMPA, we will have more control and flexibility over rates and we will be able to generate some of our own electricity and have our own system just the way we want with solar and other green alternatives. Commissioner Jo-Ann Golden was a leader in this decision. Lisa needs to understand that 1) we do not have a buyer for our Utility and perhaps no one would want to buy it 2) not everyone in the City wants to sell it or give away any of our assets and 3) it needs a vote of the people.

Lisa Maxwell, wants to consider selling our Utility, our multi-million dollar asset and an asset through good management, will be even more of a unique benefit to all of the residents of Lake Worth and its customers once we exit FMPA.