Analysis: The Planned Utility Rate Increases

If one takes out all the campaign rhetoric and promises and focuses strictly on the numbers, the proposed utility rate increases planned for June 1 are so minimal for most residents the issue is hardly worth discussing. And if abated, there will be dire consequences for the city. Yet some city councilmen may go ahead with plans to kill the increase and put the city in real trouble.

--41% of utility users -- those who use under 3,000 gallons of water/sewer a month and 100 mcf of gas-- will see a rate increase on water, sewer and gas of only 30 cents a month.

--Most users --62% who use 5,000 gallons of water/sewer a month--will see a rate increase of only $2.06 cents a month.

--Actual increases run from 1.72% to 4%, for the three utilities.

--Added up for all users, $360,000 will have to be transferred from the City's Capital Budget to make up the shortfall if the rate increase is abated, as Councilman Larry Parham has proposed.

--Many Grove residents will not live to see the day when all of the debt for GMSA is paid off, in 2024-25. A total of four bond issues are currently being paid off at a rate of more than $1.5 million per year and the GMSA cannot borrow another penny. These bonds go back to 1989 with a total of $18.1 million in notes. A 1989 bond expires in 2014-15; a 2005 bond expires in 2020-21; the 2006 bond expires in 2018-19; a wastewater treatment plant bond won't expire until 2024-25 and the four-tenths sales tax won't expire until 2020-21.

--If GMSA were a sick human, it would be a patient in the critical care ward on life support, just a few breaths from death. The only thing holding it together is the movement of money from one account to another.

--Grove's water rates are the lowest of 16 cities surveyed by the Oklahoma Municipal League, since Grove is the only city that gets free water from Grand Lake.

--$700,000 of GMSA's Capital Budget has to be transferred to cover operations and maintenance costs. No spare parts are available. There is no spare generator for the water plant's lake intake. Fifteen years of rate neglect are piling up.

--Two new schools are opening soon; a new hospital is in the works; a huge casino is planned which will drink lots of water and make flushing sounds, and new homes are being built across Grove. All will need water, sewer and gas. New industry which may come to town will also require utilities. Both the water treatment and waste treatment plants are maxed out and estimated costs to expand them approach $4 million, yet there is no money available and no way to borrow it.

Yet Councilman Larry Parham, who made campaign promises to "vote against proposed utility rate increases" persists in his work to abate the increases, which go into effect by Ordinance #526 on June 1, approved by the previous council.

GMSA's trust authority members will consider the issue at a special joint meeting with Council at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday May 23. The sense is that GMSA will turn away the request to abate the rate increases, leaving Council in the embarrassing position of looking into their eyeballs and overriding the very people they appointed to manage GMSA on a sound businesslike basis. GMSA board members realize they have a fiduciary responsibility to keep GMSA in the black.

Citizens who want to keep the infrastructure of Grove from a further free fall would be well advised to attend this meeting and get informed on the facts, rather than run on the emotion of a campaign hangover and coffee shop numbers.

Health Care Authority Holds First Meeting

Members of Grove's new Health Care Trust Authority have elected officers and set a meeting schedule for the future, agreeing that their mission would be to come up with ideas to assist in raising funds for a new Grove Integris Hospital, estimated to cost $58 million.

At Monday's meeting, Gary Trippensee was elected chairman; Randy Hamil vice chairman, and the group appointed Bonnie Buzzard, City Clerk, as secretary. A budget of $200,000 has been proposed, but not approved, for the group. Final council budget approvals are slated for the June 19 meeting.

"All options and ideas are on the table, it is incumbent on this board to look at all the possibilities during this window of opportunity," board member Terry Ryan said. A possible presentation by Rick Smith, Municipal Financial Services, is set for May 17.
Regular meetings of the group are proposed for the first Tuesday of the month at 5 p.m.

The hospital has proposed a city contribution of $5 million and says $2 million of it has already been raised or pledged.

After the meeting, audience member Judith Read questioned the possible conflict of interest of board member Dr. Rene Russell, who said she was chairman of the hospital foundation.

Council Says OK to Matches at Accident Sites

The majority of the Grove City Council is making it crystal clear that Police Chief Ivan Devitt is not "wunna-us." Unfortunately, the ultimate victims of their actions may be the citizens of Grove, whose safety is compromised at accident sites.

What should have been routine passage of a new city ordinance making it illegal to smoke or light a match within 50 feet of an accident involving spillage of fuel or other flammable material died for lack of a second at Tuesday's council meeting.

Chief Devitt had proposed the new ordinance because there is no current law on the books for such actions. He said he had checked with Fire Chief Lee Dollarhide who he said had endorsed the new ordinance, but councilman Mike Davenport disputed that, saying he had talked with the fire chief who said it was not necessary. However, Chief Devitt spoke again with Dollarhide the next morning and Dollarhide again endorsed the ordinance as a necessary safety tool, Devitt said. City Attorney Ron Cates also endorsed the new ordinance from a legal standpoint, saying if there is no law prohibiting smoking or lighting up, then the EMS, Fire and police workers at the accident scene would not have any protection and police could not make an arrest against the offender.

Councilman Terry Ryan made the motion to approve the ordinance, while the rest of the council sat silent, refusing to second the motion and vote. This is not the first time this has happened at the newly elected council sessions, dominated 4-1 by GrovePAC candidates.

Several councilman, notably Davenport and Parham, have previously made it known that they do not want Chief Devitt present at council meetings, in uniform, going so far as to have Acting City Manager Debbie Maviey issue new policies on police attendance at city meetings.

The main event on the Council agenda was postponed until the May 23 joint meeting with the GMSA Board, that being abating the proposed increases in utility rates planned to go into effect June 1. An earlier GMSA meeting spent so much time on other agenda items that it failed to allow for discussion on this item.

Council went into Executive Session at 7 p.m. to discuss employment of a new city manager and came out around 8 p.m. having taken no action.

In other business, Council designated May 19 as White Cane Day in Grove; waived application license fees for the solicitor permit for the Lions Club donations for White Cane Day; proclaimed May 19-26 as National Safe Boating Week, presenting proclamations to the Grand Lake Power Squadron and U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary; gave approval for a funding request from the Corkel foundation to purchase a generator for the police department, to cost $13,000. Council also awarded a bid to Automation and Control Technologies of Enid, Ok. for $14,226 for a new outdoor warning siren, provided it can be installed within 30 days. The new siren would be placed on Highway 59 near the water tower.

An Editorial...Abusing the Police Chief

The new GrovePAC dominated City Council is taking out its licks on Ivan Devitt, currently the Chief of Police in Grove, simply because he was appointed by former city manager Bill Galletly. This childish behavior is unbefitting adults elected by the people. Is it really necessary that the council take their grievances out on Devitt, who by most standards has done an outstanding job since he was appointed last August.

In eight months on the job, Chief Devitt has upgraded the police department offices with new carpet and paint, created two new offices, moved the municipal courtroom to the city hall, obtained new vests, and a new radar trailer, to mention a few items. He spent 18 years on the Houston, TX police force, retired, moved to Grove, and was not seeking the job when former Police Chief Mark Wall was fired by Galletly. Councilman Larry Parham questions Devitt's qualifications to be Chief. But did Parham ever question the qualifications of the former chief?

Devitt is working to bring the long neglected department up to standards, seeking four new officers, new vehicles, in-camera videos, higher salaries for his employees including the assistant chief, dispatcher, animal control officer and records clerk. At current salaries, the department has been unable to attract or even retain quality personnel. Chances are your trash man makes more than most people at the Grove PD. And average calls per month have gone from 1299 in 2004 to 1895 so far in 2007.

Devitt proposes adding four new vehicles to the fleet, four-wheel drive; the DARE vehicle, the VIP vehicle, and the animal control vehicle, a '98 model with more than 110,000 miles on it. He also wants a fingerprint scanner and in-car video cameras, some new laptop computers, narcotics enforcement equipment, firing range improvements, tasers, rifles, body armor, digital cameras for use at crime scenes and accidents…the list goes on. He also wants to put in a Fitness Incentive Program and Continuing Education Program, plus a photo ID Badge maker for city employees.

The Council, in its Budget sessions, should find ways to give the police department the salaries, staffing and tools that it needs for the safety of all Grove citizens. Several made campaign promises to do so.

And, four councilmen need to get over their childish animosity towards Devitt, lest their Mama's take them out back behind the woodshed and give them a 'whippin.

Observations...

Regarding Grove's new casino to be built on Highway 59 next to the Stonebrook Inn, we've heard that this will be the nation's first "Winners Only" casino. This means that everyone who enters the building, wins, there are no losers. Everyone is guaranteed to win at least $1.00 and lose nothing.
People will be lined up at the doors, even lined up to get across Sailboat Bridge. They will spend their winnings in Grove, of course, flooding city coffers with so much money the city won't be able to spend it. A new swimming pool, civic center, curbs and gutters on every street, new water and wastewater treatment plants, every street laid with new asphalt, new store fronts on every downtown building, a completed Wolf Creek project and even a new steakhouse with great food and service with fine wine. And on top of this, every adult in Grove will receive a brand new car and have their mortgage paid for and everyone will be happy with no divorces and no child abuse and even the crime problem will go away because people will be able to buy drugs instead of stealing money for them. Money will flow through the streets like water.

Imagine.

Oh, sorry, we were just having a nice dream and then we woke up.

But like they say, we can dream can't we?

News Release Writing Seminar Set

A short seminar on "How to Write a Good News Release and Get It Published Every Time" will be presented at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 24, at the Grove Public Library.

It will cover the basics of good news release writing, writing style, grammar, timing, and formats and is open to anyone who writes news releases for publication, especially local organizations. It will be taught by Jim Mills, Editor of The Grove Observer.

Persons interested in attending should call Rose Stauber at the Grove Public Library, 786-2945 by May 22.

A Matter of Faith...

By Carol Round

Need an Attitude Check?

“Do everything without complaining or arguing.” Philippians 2:14 (NIV)

I like writer Katherine Mansfield’s attitude about attitude: "Could we change our attitude, we should not only see life differently, but life itself would come to be different. Life would undergo a change of appearance because we ourselves had undergone a change of attitude."

I spent many years thinking I could change others to meet my expectations. It doesn’t work. What does? A change in our own attitudes toward others.

During my 30 years as a public school teacher, I worked under different administrators. Although some of their administrative styles were compatible with my teaching philosophy, others were not. I can recall one new administrator whose ideas involved major changes. Some of the teachers, who were old-timers like me, resisted change. Our attitudes needed an adjustment. Before I began looking at things from my boss’s perspective, I allowed others’ complaining and arguing to affect my reaction.

When I began to distance myself from the pettiness, I saw things from a different viewpoint. My attitude check allowed me to accept the changes the principal made, even if I did not agree with him. After all, he was my boss.

Complaining and arguing are negative actions that can lead to hopelessness and defeat. However, we can choose to replace the negativity with an outlook that encourages positive thoughts and actions, which will make a difference in the world.

If all we do is complain about what is wrong with the government, with an institution or another person, what have we gained? Nothing but a bitter taste in our mouths and an angry heart. I know because I have been there. However, when we choose an attitude of gratitude, we can take necessary steps toward improvement.

In my Bible study class, we were discussing ways we could become better disciples for Christ. One of the participants commented on a co-worker’s attitude. Without thinking, I asked, “Have you prayed for him?”

He replied, “Yes.”

In the past, my poor attitude toward co-workers, whom I allowed to push my buttons, would not have led to prayers for him or her. Instead, I complained. When I came to the realization that I needed a change of perspective, life was more pleasant.

Our attitude toward others affects everything we say, do and feel. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to go through life miserable because I have allowed others to control me with their words and actions.

In the past, a traffic incident involving an angry driver honking his horn, might have set me off and ruined my morning. Not anymore. I smile and wave, leaving the other driver baffled with my response. I feel better and hope that my reaction improves his attitude.

A change in attitude requires a change of heart. I have found that there is only one way to achieve a lasting change and that is through a personal relationship with the Lord.

Do you need an attitude adjustment? Ask the Lord to help you keep your attitude in check today.

A collection of Carol Round’s most popular faith-based columns is now available in book form. For more information, readers can reach her at carolaround@yahoo.com.