• Posts Tagged ‘utilities’

    Looking at Rates and Perceptions

    by  • January 27, 2012 • News & Views • 2 Comments

    The second part of Thursday’s City Council Finance Committee meeting started with a simple question, and ended with a set of motions fixing the next step in the City’s consideration of electric rate increases. In the middle was a good amount of dialogue, including a few rather stark differences of opinion.

    The initial question was raised by one of those gathered to listen to the Finance Committee meeting:

    In the 2011 Revenue Requirements (the amount needed to be obtained to operate the electrical utility) shared by Sawvel and Associates, some $296,668 was added to total expenditures with a caption of “Uncollected Billing Revenue and Other.” If this is correct, the questioner posed, why should paying electric customers be paying for those who do not pay their bill, and does this … Read the rest

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    City Reexamines Electric Rates

    by  • January 26, 2012 • News & Views • 0 Comments

    NOTE: The lengthy City Council Finance Committee meeting on Thursday was quite long and full of open dialogue. GalionLive will present our coverage of the meeting in two installments — first looking at the presentation by the City’s electric rate consultants, and then looking at the engaging conversation which occurred after that presentation was finished.

    The room was full on Thursday morning as the Finance Committee of Galion City Council conducted its long-anticipated review of the City’s proposed electric rate increase. And, while there was no resolution of that issue, it is evident that it will be some time before that increase will be enacted — if ever.

    The meeting followed a brief, eight-minute session of the Galion Financial Planning and Supervision Commission, which is assigned the duty of … Read the rest

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    Wind Farm on the Way

    by  • January 24, 2012 • News & Views • 0 Comments

    Yesterday, the Ohio Power Siting Board in Columbus announced approval of the application for the Black Fork Wind Farm, a huge operation that will place some 91 wind turbines in Richland and Crawford Counties.

    In its press release, the Board shared the following:

    “The Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) today approved an agreement that authorizes Black Fork Wind Energy to construct a wind farm along the Crawford and Richland county line. The facility will consist of up to 91 wind turbines capable of generating a combined 200 megawatts (MW) of electricity.

    Black Fork plans to begin construction in March 2012 and to have the facility online by December. The company estimates that between $51 and $69 million will be spent in the region on equipment, materials, labor, and associated costs. … Read the rest

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    Council Raises Water, Sewer Rates; Tables Electric Rate Increase

    by  • December 13, 2011 • News & Views • 12 Comments

    GalionLive will have coverage of Tuesday’s meeting of Galion City Council in two installments. First, we look at three utility rate increases which were considered. Second, we will look at all other matters discussed and decided.

    In one of the longest meetings in recent months, Galion City Council considered a number of measures on Tuesday dealing with the City’s short and long term financial health. Included among other ordinances and resolutions under review were three measures, each of which calling on Council to enact utility rate changes on an Emergency basis.

    The first utility ordinance to be considered was that dealing with a raise in water rates with a projected effective start date of January 1, 2012. The strident discussion which took place during this initial ordinance set the tone … Read the rest

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    Other Council Matters: Heise Park Pool, A Resignation, and Good News

    by  • November 9, 2011 • News & Views • 1 Comment

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    As noted in our last post, Tuesday’s meeting of Galion City Council did not lack for substantive discussion topics. Over a two-hour period, in fact, some 11 items of proposed legislation were considered dealing with a wide range of issues.

    Before the deliberative portion of the meeting, Galion Community Center-YMCA Director Terry Gribble gave Council a report on the 2011 season at the Heise Park swimming pool. The Center-YMCA manages operation of the pool pursuant to an agreement with the City of Galion, which in turn covers the difference between revenue and costs of operation.

    Initially relaying that the hourly rate for services has remained constant for the last 5-6 years, Gribble shared some overall statistics to begin his presentation. Contracted labor costs this past year for 419 ½ … Read the rest

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    Council Meets; Utilities Late Fee Reduced

    by  • October 11, 2011 • News & Views • 10 Comments

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    What a difference two weeks can make.

    In contrast to the second September meeting of Galion City Council, where several local residents made their urgent concerns known about the proposed lease of Keller Hall, Tuesday’s first meeting of the month was a relatively placid affair. A small handful of legislative matters were considered; three passed unanimously, and one was tabled.

    Tuesday’s meeting was interesting not for what was on the agenda, but what sprung up without notice.

    One such moment occurred when Council was considering passage of another amendment to the new Utility Billing and Collections Policy. The amendment, as described by City Manager Gene Toy, was designed to provide clarification on collection definitions and timing. In particular, the objective was to identify when an actual delinquency would take … Read the rest

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