Planned Utility Rate Increases Dumped
Score it Politicans 4, Businessmen 1
Planned utility rate increases for gas, water and sewer which were to go into effect June 1 won't happen.
The GMSA Trust Authority board, which manages the city's utility company, voted 5-0 to allow the increases to take effect as planned, but the City Council voted 3-2 to abate the increases, and 4-1 to allow an emergency clause to take effect on the matter. Voting to abate were Larry Parham, Gary Trippensee and Mike Davenport, with Mayor Gary Bishop and Terry Ryan voting against; however, the emergency clause required 80% approval so Bishop then flipped and voted with the GrovePAC candidates, who had made an election issue out of the increases.
The increase would have amounted to $2.06 a month for 62% of utility customers and 30 cents a month for 41% who use the minimum amounts each month.
Now, $360,000 will have to be transferred from the city's Capital Budget to make up the GMSA shortfall to keep it from floundering.
The meeting Wednesday night lasted nearly four hours and got off to a strange start after Mayor Bishop altered the previously posted Council Agenda items, moving #4, the 2007-08 budget, up to #1.
During the middle of the meeting he left for about an hour to hold his Wednesday night Prayer Session. Councilman Parham continued to attack bike paths, alleging that a bike path was being paid for by GMSA instead of the city. Allegations of misuse of GMSA funds were made and the council urged a delay in the rate increase implementation until the "numbers can be scrubbed." A joint "study group" will be appointed that can avoid the Open Meetings Act requirements, with two councilors and two GMSA board members to have separate meetings with city staff to find the scrubbings. The matter will eventually be dumped into the lap of a new city manager, when that hiring is made.
GMSA department heads pleaded for money for spare pumps, motors and other parts; two generators would cost $143,000; a wastewater pump at $98,000; a water intake generator at $67,000, with none of this in the GMSA budget for 2007-08. The water plant is maxed out at 85% of capacity in the summer months.
"We are cut to the bone," Gary Harrington said. Ryan said 'we have no opportunity to plan for the future, avoiding the increase is not in the best interests of the city. We are leveraged out."
Audience member Bill Miller of Grove told the Council "we all know why you want to kill the increase, you made an election campaign out of it."
GMSA does have a proposed $100,000 in the budget for replacement of water meters at a cost of around $42 each, which will mostly be used in the south part of the city where up to 50% of the water is disappearing, members were told.
Other department heads appeared before the Council, asking for items not in the budget.
Police Chief Ivan Devitt asked for four additional police officers to bring the department up to what it should currently be, new four-wheel drive vehicles, and better salaries for staff, who currently make $8.25 an hour. City staff has proposed $9.00 an hour, but Devitt noted that a new airport mowing position will pay $11.00 an hour.
David Adzigian asked for $150,000 for the Grove Industrial Development Authority to buy additional land for new industry which may come to Grove and was told $200,000 is in the proposed budget for roof repairs to the current Civic Center. The Fire Department asked for one additional fireman, which would bring the city to an ISO Rating of 4 from 5, which would save homeowners around 5-18% a year on their insurance premiums, but stated that adding three firemen would bring the ISO Rating to a 3. Four firemen at a time are required for entering structure fires.
Final budget approvals will be made around June 15.
Planned utility rate increases for gas, water and sewer which were to go into effect June 1 won't happen.
The GMSA Trust Authority board, which manages the city's utility company, voted 5-0 to allow the increases to take effect as planned, but the City Council voted 3-2 to abate the increases, and 4-1 to allow an emergency clause to take effect on the matter. Voting to abate were Larry Parham, Gary Trippensee and Mike Davenport, with Mayor Gary Bishop and Terry Ryan voting against; however, the emergency clause required 80% approval so Bishop then flipped and voted with the GrovePAC candidates, who had made an election issue out of the increases.
The increase would have amounted to $2.06 a month for 62% of utility customers and 30 cents a month for 41% who use the minimum amounts each month.
Now, $360,000 will have to be transferred from the city's Capital Budget to make up the GMSA shortfall to keep it from floundering.
The meeting Wednesday night lasted nearly four hours and got off to a strange start after Mayor Bishop altered the previously posted Council Agenda items, moving #4, the 2007-08 budget, up to #1.
During the middle of the meeting he left for about an hour to hold his Wednesday night Prayer Session. Councilman Parham continued to attack bike paths, alleging that a bike path was being paid for by GMSA instead of the city. Allegations of misuse of GMSA funds were made and the council urged a delay in the rate increase implementation until the "numbers can be scrubbed." A joint "study group" will be appointed that can avoid the Open Meetings Act requirements, with two councilors and two GMSA board members to have separate meetings with city staff to find the scrubbings. The matter will eventually be dumped into the lap of a new city manager, when that hiring is made.
GMSA department heads pleaded for money for spare pumps, motors and other parts; two generators would cost $143,000; a wastewater pump at $98,000; a water intake generator at $67,000, with none of this in the GMSA budget for 2007-08. The water plant is maxed out at 85% of capacity in the summer months.
"We are cut to the bone," Gary Harrington said. Ryan said 'we have no opportunity to plan for the future, avoiding the increase is not in the best interests of the city. We are leveraged out."
Audience member Bill Miller of Grove told the Council "we all know why you want to kill the increase, you made an election campaign out of it."
GMSA does have a proposed $100,000 in the budget for replacement of water meters at a cost of around $42 each, which will mostly be used in the south part of the city where up to 50% of the water is disappearing, members were told.
Other department heads appeared before the Council, asking for items not in the budget.
Police Chief Ivan Devitt asked for four additional police officers to bring the department up to what it should currently be, new four-wheel drive vehicles, and better salaries for staff, who currently make $8.25 an hour. City staff has proposed $9.00 an hour, but Devitt noted that a new airport mowing position will pay $11.00 an hour.
David Adzigian asked for $150,000 for the Grove Industrial Development Authority to buy additional land for new industry which may come to Grove and was told $200,000 is in the proposed budget for roof repairs to the current Civic Center. The Fire Department asked for one additional fireman, which would bring the city to an ISO Rating of 4 from 5, which would save homeowners around 5-18% a year on their insurance premiums, but stated that adding three firemen would bring the ISO Rating to a 3. Four firemen at a time are required for entering structure fires.
Final budget approvals will be made around June 15.
Labels: Council Meetings
posted by Editor | 2:00 AM
4 Comments:
This was just the first indication of what the citizens of Grove had better get ready for with this new council. With one voice vote that resulted in only 30% of the voting members voting in favor of tabling the rate increase for one year, the financial integrity of the GMSA operation was once again placed in the revenue loosing position that it had been in past years. This is certainly a setback for some of the progress that has been made over the past four years.
Larry Parham had the audacity to state the finances of GMSA needed to be closely scrutinized as some of the funds have been misappropriated. Thats strange as the past three audits by a certified public accountant have resulted in continually improving results. Also, the financial consultant, Rick Smith recently indicated the city was on the right track with changes that had been made, now three neophytes decided they know better and have started to dismantle past efforts. Two of them will now review and scrub the books of GMSA just to find out where all the money has been going.
I am certainly going to sleep better knowing that the city is in such good hands.
Residents should be concerned about last night's story in the Grove Sun Daily which reported that GMSA approved the postponement of the rate increase, which was incorrect. The reporter left the meeting early and was not present when the vote was taken so we do not understand how this misinformation got printed.
Also, a story in the Joplin Globe May 22 reported that Parham said "the individual should be terminated immediately" referring to the police officer suspended for 30 days without pay for having sex in the back seat of a patrol car. Again, the police department does not work for the city council and it is not council's call.
The Editor
Regardless of whether you are supportive of the new council or not, this "news article" is clearly another anti-council editorial, complete with the editor's opinions and conclusions. I will make some editiorial-type comments, so identified.
If members of the current council promised to oppose the utility rate increases, they have an obligation to the public to honor this promise and then make it work. They have honored their promise. I suggest the council should have the opportunity to make this work rather than be criicized by those with an OPINION that it will not work.
Next point. Certainly the council cannot fire a city policeman for serious sexual misconduct while in uniform (or not, as the case may be!). The police chief hires and fires. But the councilmen have not only the right, but clearly the obligation, to make policy. As reported, a councilman has stated his opinion that a policeman should be fired for his clearly unacceptable conduct. If the police chief disagrees, so be it, and the policeman will not be fired. But if this reflects a difference of opinion regarding policy between a majority of the council and the police chief, expect the council to address the policy issue.
At the end of the day, if the police chief and the council cannot come to terms regarding policy, the chief will be toast. The tail does not wag the dog, even if you like the tail and not the dog. That is the way it works and should work.
Finally, the voters in Grove clearly made a decision, and quite decisively, I would say. While our editor clearly supported Mr. Galletley and Ms. Nuchols, the voters thought otherwise. As much as our editor disagrees with the outcome and the resulting change at City Hall, which he clearly does, the council has an obligation to the public to follow their mandate. Our editor doesn't understand the democratic process by continuing to criticize the council for doing what they made clear they would do, and what the voters put them in office to do.
Can you, anyone, even a baby titmouse, offer up even one positive thing the Triplets have done the past two months?
This group is a train wreck that will take the city to ruin the next four years. They can't fire the police chief since he doesn't work for them, so they snipe from the sidelines thru an out of town newspaper. When your toilet backs up in your house, don't complain.
When you can't get water for a shower, don't complain. When you hit a pothole, don't complain. When the infrastructure of Grove collapses, don't complain.
Just keep on bragging that you elected these people.
Post a Comment
<< Home