Andrew Marra has always had the same idea that the electric utility was some sort of an albatross around Lake Worth's neck...no surprise. It's too bad he doesn't understand it and why we need it and what we are doing right this minute to make it competitive. Marra might live in Lake Worth but he does not understand our electric utility nor does he understand the candidates.
VERY SAD FOR THE CITY. JIM,MAYBE WE WOULDN'T HAVE 'F' RATED SCHOOLS IN lAKE wORTH IF SOME OF THE KIDS TAKING THE F-CAT HERE COULD READ ,WRITE,OR SPEAK ENGLISH!!!!
Admit it Lynn. Commissioner McVoy misquoting the Charter with respect to the sale of the Electric Utility was a kiss of death to his reelection campaign.
Let's get something straight. Jim did not say he wanted to sell the utility. He did say that we need to put that option on the table and discuss, research and work with FPL to get answers. Why would anyone not want to know what options we have as a city? What do we have to lose if we get answers to these questions? The business community is getting killed with the highest rates in the state along with very high business utility tax rates. No one ever talks about this additional charge to businesses. We need to think outside the box if we ever want this city to move forward. I want answers to these questions before anyone decides on a new power provider.
John, please. Stafford has always advocated selling the utility--has for years ever since he started lakeworthless. Now he just wants to talk? Can you please tell him to get ALL of the information before he goes off half cocked. Thanks very much. We probably owe, overall, more than we would get in a sale. Without figures, we will never know. What is wrong with the concept of improving our elec utility as we are attempting to do now?
Look at our past ineffectiveness. We will ever be successful in significantly improving our electric bills. I think most of my neighbors are of the same opinion.
Mr. Rinaldi, as a lawyer you know that even just discussions with FPL if they are sincerely interested,and they might be if they pick it up for 1/4 what it is worth,would be on-going over two years or more.In the meantime,we must have a new energy provider and get that contract cemented now.
Anonymous at 10:07--you are right. One thing that Stafford is missing here--why should FPL be the only company out there to buy LW Utilities if we so choose to explore the sale of it after knowing all of the facts, of course. It needs to open up to Progress Energy and other companies. When you have one buyer you will always get less than something is worth.
Bottom line here is we hate FPL and will do anything in our power to stop their progress.We will chain ourselves to one another and resist with all our strengh. They are the worst type of business. A corporation that rapes the poor and destroys the enviroment. Mr. McVoy has proven to be a friend to our cause.We need citizens like Chris in politics to voice our concerns.
There is, and has always been so much misinformation and misunderstanding when we talk about Lake Worth’s electric utility. The process that LW’s going through right now is selecting a wholesale power supplier to provide the electric that our city then re-sales to it’s 21,000 or so customers. If you look at your bill there’s a charge for the amount of electricity used and then additional charges for utility taxes, fuel charges and or credits and other charges, ie; the old conservation fee. No matter what the future of holds for LW, if we want to sell our utility or continue operating our own electric utility we’ll still have to have a wholesale power supplier for the next few years. Even if LW decides to replace our old inefficient generators with new generators as is proposed by one of the RFP respondents, we will still need to have a contract with an electric supplier for the next couple of years. Yes, most everyone who buys their electricity from LW Utilities knows we pay higher rates for our power than the cities that surround us that are served by FP&L. Currently we’re paying about 35% more between the residential and commercial rates. Paying more than our neighbors for electricity isn’t a recent occurrence because of our cities current financial situation. For the last 12 years we’ve been paying on average 23% more than FP&L rates. You don’t need to be Warren Buffett to come to the realization that we can’t compete with the rest of the county in attracting businesses and new homeowners by charging more for electricity, something we all need every month. For those that were at the NAPC Debate Monday night you heard that Jim didn’t say he was ready to sell the utility to FP&L, he said he is ready to invite interested parties to come in and see what they would be willing to offer us for our electric utility. Then we could let the voters decide if we should sell or keep it the way it is now. We’re always saying let the people decide; we can’t decide if we don’t have all the facts. We won’t have all the facts until we formally invite them to the table.
For those of you who think that small local business pays the same taxes as residential customers, you're wrong. Business pays a Public Service tax, a gross receipts tax and a state sales tax over 7 percent. Yes all these taxes are deductible but you need to make a profit before deductions become useful. We pay close to $100 a month in taxes on our electric bill and the city gets a big chunk of that. When you add the 35% increase cost of electric over FPL you can see why many people will not come here. It's simple math. The conservation surcharge that we paid each month cost us hundreds of dollars each year and all we got was a simple energy audit. We were not entitled to any of the rebates offered to residential customers even though we paid the surcharge. That's just not fair.
greg, everyone knows that getting a power provider is different than selling. If we reduced our power costs by 25 percent, would you still want to sell?
The public has a misconception that selecting a new wholesale power provider has the potential to reduce our rates by 25%. That is not possible given our current obligations. Our leaders have not done a good job of informing the public and it may be because they have not been properly informed. The consultant getting paid close to 1/2 a million dollars has led this selection process the way she and staff want it to go which may or may not be in the best interest of the customers of LW Utilities.
Greg,who are the cheerleaders for FPL that you brought into town,Mr H and Mr H? Why did FPL pay for the famous bus trip? Greg why did your friends on the dias refuse to hire an internal auditor?
Fire her immediately. We can't trust Sue Hersey in this process. She has someone else's best interest. Get a refund. :) Leave it to the citizens. They are far more knowledgeable. You betcha. :) :) :((((
I was planning to open a new business in downtown Lake Worth, but changed my mind due to the high commercial utility rates.
Let's put this issue to sell LW Utility on the March ballot. Sell it for a price that would keep us afloat till bussineses returns to offset our tax base. Sell it for a price that would pay for the Union pension cost for years and enough to buy out our contracts or sell to another muni.Long term solution.
For now Im sure our commissioners will pick a lower priced suppplier, but more important is the price they charge us. I understand the utility now pays around 8 cents a kilo for the electricity they resale to us.
No matter what they pay, I say lets's put pressure on our commissioners to lower the rates NOW by 30%. We can't afford to wait any longer. Our commissioners are addicted to high rates and need to go to Utility rate rehab to be able see clearly.
We are bleeding to deaf. Bye bye to Sedanos, all the resturants downtown, families that are moving out. More will soon go. While WPB and Delray prospers, we are bleeding to deaf.
First he is endorsed by the Post, and now by the Lake Worth Herald, Guess a lot of people are sick of the Cabal it is time to get our city BACK on track.....
Actually, the voters are really sick of the cabal of bullies. The playhouse was filled with them but only 60 people showed up. The Herald supports bullies but very few read that newspaper. The Post supported Stafford and that reporter is clueless. We can only hope that reasonable and intelligent people will not be fooled as well on Nov 6.
"Guess a lot of people are sick of the Cabal it is time to get our city BACK on track" The developer whores who continually try to blight this city into another Broward County are what the MAJORITY of citizens in Lake Worth are sick of!They are more disgusting and harder to get rid of than mold.The refusal of this Commission majority to let the people vote on the important issue of heights in our downtown says it all.Zerti and Stafford are just two more fungal spores trying to rot Lake Worth into oblivian.
I do not give a darn who endorses him! If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck. I one walks like a bully and talks like a bully - he is bully.
I do anonymous. I was impressed when Mr. Stafford came to my door and not some freaky looking guy with a black beard this past Wednesday. I have never seen McVoy and called him several times about an issue on my street and never got a return call. Then when Mr. Stafford got both endorsements it locked it up for me. I already mailed my vote for Stafford in and I hope other do the same.
Hi Jim Stafford...having a good day? Who was the freaky looking guy with a black beard? You have a black goatee. McVoy is clean shaven. Sure you're not getting it all mixed up.
Andrew Marra has always had the same idea that the electric utility was some sort of an albatross around Lake Worth's neck...no surprise. It's too bad he doesn't understand it and why we need it and what we are doing right this minute to make it competitive. Marra might live in Lake Worth but he does not understand our electric utility nor does he understand the candidates.
ReplyDeleteVERY SAD FOR THE CITY. JIM,MAYBE WE WOULDN'T HAVE 'F' RATED SCHOOLS IN lAKE wORTH IF SOME OF THE KIDS TAKING THE F-CAT HERE COULD READ ,WRITE,OR SPEAK ENGLISH!!!!
ReplyDeleteHoly &*^%.
ReplyDeleteDITTO. Holy FU.......................
ReplyDeleteAdmit it Lynn. Commissioner McVoy misquoting the Charter with respect to the sale of the Electric Utility was a kiss of death to his reelection campaign.
ReplyDeleteHe wasn't on top of that one.
ReplyDeleteLet's get something straight. Jim did not say he wanted to sell the utility. He did say that we need to put that option on the table and discuss, research and work with FPL to get answers. Why would anyone not want to know what options we have as a city? What do we have to lose if we get answers to these questions? The business community is getting killed with the highest rates in the state along with very high business utility tax rates. No one ever talks about this additional charge to businesses. We need to think outside the box if we ever want this city to move forward. I want answers to these questions before anyone decides on a new power provider.
ReplyDeleteFrom a newspaper that has endorsed illegals to come to Lake Worth, I'm not surprised about the endorsement.
ReplyDeleteIf a new power provider will do the same thing, why worry about selling an asset that allows us to function in this city?
ReplyDeleteJohn, please. Stafford has always advocated selling the utility--has for years ever since he started lakeworthless. Now he just wants to talk? Can you please tell him to get ALL of the information before he goes off half cocked. Thanks very much. We probably owe, overall, more than we would get in a sale. Without figures, we will never know. What is wrong with the concept of improving our elec utility as we are attempting to do now?
ReplyDeleteLook at our past ineffectiveness. We will ever be successful in significantly improving our electric bills. I think most of my neighbors are of the same opinion.
ReplyDeleteMr.
ReplyDeleteRinaldi, as a lawyer you know that even just discussions with FPL if they are sincerely interested,and they might be if they pick it up for 1/4 what it is worth,would be on-going over two years or more.In the meantime,we must have a new energy provider and get that contract cemented now.
A business can write off this expense, Mr. Rinaldi, a residential customer can not. The utility tax is the same on residences and businesses--10%
ReplyDeleteAnonymous at 10:07--you are right. One thing that Stafford is missing here--why should FPL be the only company out there to buy LW Utilities if we so choose to explore the sale of it after knowing all of the facts, of course. It needs to open up to Progress Energy and other companies. When you have one buyer you will always get less than something is worth.
ReplyDeleteGo Jim, Go it is time to get rid of Mcvoy, and his bike lanes
ReplyDeleteBottom line here is we hate FPL and will do anything in our power to stop their progress.We will chain ourselves to one another and resist with all our strengh. They are the worst type of business. A corporation that rapes the poor and destroys the enviroment. Mr. McVoy has proven to be a friend to our cause.We need citizens like Chris in politics to voice our concerns.
ReplyDeletetell that CRA to stop wasting tax dollars on bike lanes and low cost housing.
ReplyDeleteright. Low cost housing is the most stupid idea Lake wroth could get involved in. More more pEople. hahahaHA
ReplyDeleteThere is, and has always been so much misinformation and misunderstanding when we talk about Lake Worth’s electric utility. The process that LW’s going through right now is selecting a wholesale power supplier to provide the electric that our city then re-sales to it’s 21,000 or so customers. If you look at your bill there’s a charge for the amount of electricity used and then additional charges for utility taxes, fuel charges and or credits and other charges, ie; the old conservation fee. No matter what the future of holds for LW, if we want to sell our utility or continue operating our own electric utility we’ll still have to have a wholesale power supplier for the next few years. Even if LW decides to replace our old inefficient generators with new generators as is proposed by one of the RFP respondents, we will still need to have a contract with an electric supplier for the next couple of years. Yes, most everyone who buys their electricity from LW Utilities knows we pay higher rates for our power than the cities that surround us that are served by FP&L. Currently we’re paying about 35% more between the residential and commercial rates. Paying more than our neighbors for electricity isn’t a recent occurrence because of our cities current financial situation. For the last 12 years we’ve been paying on average 23% more than FP&L rates. You don’t need to be Warren Buffett to come to the realization that we can’t compete with the rest of the county in attracting businesses and new homeowners by charging more for electricity, something we all need every month. For those that were at the NAPC Debate Monday night you heard that Jim didn’t say he was ready to sell the utility to FP&L, he said he is ready to invite interested parties to come in and see what they would be willing to offer us for our electric utility. Then we could let the voters decide if we should sell or keep it the way it is now. We’re always saying let the people decide; we can’t decide if we don’t have all the facts. We won’t have all the facts until we formally invite them to the table.
ReplyDeleteBicycle lanes are a requirement of the Florida DOT.
ReplyDeleteEverything is pre-mature here and purely political. The Post operates in a vacuum.
ReplyDeleteFor those of you who think that small local business pays the same taxes as residential customers, you're wrong. Business pays a Public Service tax, a gross receipts tax and a state sales tax over 7 percent. Yes all these taxes are deductible but you need to make a profit before deductions become useful. We pay close to $100 a month in taxes on our electric bill and the city gets a big chunk of that. When you add the 35% increase cost of electric over FPL you can see why many people will not come here. It's simple math. The conservation surcharge that we paid each month cost us hundreds of dollars each year and all we got was a simple energy audit. We were not entitled to any of the rebates offered to residential customers even though we paid the surcharge. That's just not fair.
ReplyDeletegreg, everyone knows that getting a power provider is different than selling. If we reduced our power costs by 25 percent, would you still want to sell?
ReplyDeleteThe public has a misconception that selecting a new wholesale power provider has the potential to reduce our rates by 25%. That is not possible given our current obligations. Our leaders have not done a good job of informing the public and it may be because they have not been properly informed. The consultant getting paid close to 1/2 a million dollars has led this selection process the way she and staff want it to go which may or may not be in the best interest of the customers of LW Utilities.
ReplyDeleteGreg,who are the cheerleaders for FPL that you brought into town,Mr H and Mr H? Why did FPL pay for the famous bus trip? Greg why did your friends on the dias refuse to hire an internal auditor?
ReplyDeleteFire her immediately. We can't trust Sue Hersey in this process. She has someone else's best interest. Get a refund. :) Leave it to the citizens. They are far more knowledgeable. You betcha. :) :) :((((
ReplyDeleteI was planning to open a new business in downtown Lake Worth, but changed my mind due to the high commercial utility rates.
ReplyDeleteLet's put this issue to sell LW Utility on the March ballot. Sell it for a price that would keep us afloat till bussineses returns to offset our tax base. Sell it for a price that would pay for the Union pension cost for years and enough to buy out our contracts or sell to another muni.Long term solution.
For now Im sure our commissioners will pick a lower priced suppplier, but more important is the price they charge us. I understand the utility now pays around 8 cents a kilo for the electricity they resale to us.
No matter what they pay, I say lets's put pressure on our commissioners to lower the rates NOW by 30%. We can't afford to wait any longer. Our commissioners are addicted to high rates and need to go to Utility rate rehab to be able see clearly.
We are bleeding to deaf. Bye bye to Sedanos, all the resturants downtown, families that are moving out. More will soon go. While WPB and Delray prospers, we are bleeding to deaf.
Anony at 6:02, you are full of it. How come we continue to get so much crap from people in this city?
ReplyDeleteFirst he is endorsed by the Post, and now by the Lake Worth Herald, Guess a lot of people are sick of the Cabal it is time to get our city BACK on track.....
ReplyDeleteActually, the voters are really sick of the cabal of bullies. The playhouse was filled with them but only 60 people showed up. The Herald supports bullies but very few read that newspaper. The Post supported Stafford and that reporter is clueless. We can only hope that reasonable and intelligent people will not be fooled as well on Nov 6.
ReplyDelete"Guess a lot of people are sick of the Cabal it is time to get our city BACK on track"
ReplyDeleteThe developer whores who continually try to blight this city into another Broward County are what the MAJORITY of citizens in Lake Worth are sick of!They are more disgusting and harder to get rid of than mold.The refusal of this Commission majority to let the people vote on the important issue of heights in our downtown says it all.Zerti and Stafford are just two more fungal spores trying to rot Lake Worth into oblivian.
I do not give a darn who endorses him! If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck. I one walks like a bully and talks like a bully - he is bully.
ReplyDeleteI do anonymous. I was impressed when Mr. Stafford came to my door and not some freaky looking guy with a black beard this past Wednesday. I have never seen McVoy and called him several times about an issue on my street and never got a return call. Then when Mr. Stafford got both endorsements it locked it up for me. I already mailed my vote for Stafford in and I hope other do the same.
ReplyDeleteHi Jim Stafford...having a good day? Who was the freaky looking guy with a black beard? You have a black goatee. McVoy is clean shaven. Sure you're not getting it all mixed up.
ReplyDelete