From the Budget:FY 2012 Residential Electric Rates
All resident customers, irrespective of consumption, will pay a minimum monthly cost of service charge of $34.50.
Back in August I wrote a blog about increases that were in the Budget...Lake Worth Tax Payers Taking a Hit.
Originally during the budget meetings there was some discussion about the $34.50 cost of service charge. There was much confusion on the part of the rate payer because we were not told the facts. Even the Commission did not understand that each and every person who had a utility account would be paying $34.50 regardless of whether he used electricity or not. If you read it literally from the Budget, that is what it says regardless as to how you want to interpret it.
Last night, after pulling teeth for a short time, we finally got the City Manager who was the guest speaker at Bryant Park Neighborhood Association to admit, after first denying and saying "no" that we would not be paying $34.50 regardless of consumption, that "yes, all 16,000 plus utility customers that use Lake Worth utilities are now paying $34.50 a month regardless if they use $500 worth of electricity or zero KwH." After the meeting, a staff member even agreed that there should be a line item on the bill indicating this charge so that it would be transparent to the consumer.
Now this morning I got an e-mail from the city manager saying "No, your bill did not go up by $35.00. Not sure what more I can say." You can see why all of us are confused and our heads just keep on spinning.
On Thursday night, the Finance Advisory Board, non-experts in the Utility, will be discussing the City's possible conversion costs, its process and plans. Even though the FAB is there to support the numbers and the city manager's direction, some questions to consider and items that can be put off 10 or 20 years according to a source:
- the need for the 138 kV tie line $4 million
- the 11th Avenue Sub $1.75 million
- the 4th Avenue Sub $1.75 million
- the 18th Avenue Sub $1.75 million
- the 6th Avenue South Sub $600K
- the 138 kV Tie Line Repair $700K
- the Scada Installation $515K
And here we all are sinking deeper and deeper into the pit of ooze that calls itself the leadership or our city staff. Smoke and Mirrors is only causing us all to sink faster.
ReplyDeleteTry getting a solid, honest answer out of city management! OK Commission....its time to start cleaning up messes and asking tough questions in view of the public and get all things in the sunshine!
Waterman and company are going to put additional pressure on the new commission as she appears to be gunning for another crack at the Mayoral slot. Pam had better start bringing her "A" game if she is to last more than one term. The first item on her agenda should be the removal of the CM, the Utility Director and the Asst. Utility Director --- and then bring in quality management to turn this ship of state around.
ReplyDeleteItem #1, the $4 million tie line. This new line returns back to a redundant source and is virtually without use. If, in the case of an outage, our existing power plant is insufficient to pick up the load, then we have problems that a new tie line cannot solve. Rather than spend these dollars wastefully, why not look into purchasing a couple of peaking generators for half that money. Better yet, why not return these dollars to the rate payers.
ReplyDeleteItem #2 - 5 the new substations. Load in LW is currently at 10 year lows and will remain as such for the foreseeable future. Upgrading the electrical system when the load is down and there is no prospect for future growth is not economically viable in this time of budget deficits. The existing 4 kV system is plenty adequate for the next 10 - 20 years. The commission should be asking the Utility for a piece by piece breakdown of this expenditure, accept those parts which have very long lead times (new substation transformers) and reject everything else for near future. Long lead time items can then be placed in the transformer yard and remain there until such time as the load grows and the conversion is actually required. Now is not the time to be spending dollars for niceties.
Item #6, the tie line repair. This is nothing more than a slush fund for expenditures outside the budgetary scope. Actual numbers for the tie line repair will come in at <25% of this number. The commission should again as for a complete breakdown of this number and allocate on that amount that is actually required.
Item #7, the SCADA system. Again, this is a Utility slush fund. A Cadillac system for a utility of this size will cost <= $150K. There are members of the community who have the actual numbers for a SCADA system of this size and scope and they should assist the commission and the FAB in reducing this number by 60%.
Of this $11.5 million dollar Utility budget, a savings can be extracted of 60 - 80% without harm to either the Utility or the rate payers pocketbooks.
Are these people certifiable or what, after the debacle of the Electric Task Force and the squandering of multi-millions of dollars they are going to abdicate the responsibility again to people who have no clue just like the lack of experience they have in house, incredible is an understatement. Why in this so called financial urgency would you even consider doing this, how can these people attempt to make an educated choice. The citizens in LW need to stop this charade NOW, you are paying salaries for staff and the CM and UD to chart this course not people off the street.
ReplyDeleteI was trying to figure out, but gave up the FPL montly rate for their customers, regardless KW use. I didn't have enough time to dig, but they do have a basic charge, which appears to be at a minimum $5.90.
ReplyDeleteThey also only charge $15 to open, transfer accounts where LW charges $35 each time my tenants leave and the utility transfers back to me. And since I follow the rules and the utilities are in my tenants names not mine, I'm charged more by the city.
Don't mind paying my fair share. However when I do everything to conserve by not watering grass, recycling dish water, turning off lights and then comparing former bills to the newest ones. Was told "doesn't matter how much wattage you use it starts at 34.50" I am on fixed SS. That's precisely why i need to get my bill lower. When I go visit, or stay in hospital and no utility is being used. I feel used.
ReplyDeleteWaterman is gunning for another crack at the mayoral seat? She does realize that she barely beat Tom who 75% of the city hates then lost to an unknown political outsider who only ran so Waterman would'nt run unopposed right? Waterman should focus on her personsl issues, lose 30 pounds and get a job that doesn't require much interaction with the general public.
ReplyDeleteYou people don't give up on nastiness. There are only 2 people on the dais who are skinny. What about directing your mean-spirited comments to the rest of them who are less than thin?
ReplyDelete