Mayor's Weekly Update 2/6/10 Please explain To Me

[piratexox]

From the link:

http://mo-lebanon.civicplus.com/index.aspx?NID=155

I might add that the electric reserve had reached its peak of $19 million dollars plus not because the City had been overcharging on its electric rates but because the City had been receiving annual rebates from the wholesale electric provider for a number of years. The prior Councils had been saving those rebates in the electric reserve. When accumulated interest was added, it did not take long for the reserve to build to a substantial amount. This enabled Council to subsidize your electric bills for the past year.
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Some times you have to go slow for me.

How did we receive rebates without being over charged and why weren't they passed along to us at the time?

How did we use 19 million $$ extra of electricity last year?

Yes I know it was our slush fund. But we still should have gotten part of the rebate for individual accounts.

[phatface]

I don't know, but somebody should proofread that stuff before it's posted on the city site.

Cheers,
phat

[momma]

Pirate I'm a little slow sometimes on this stuff too I'd like someone to explain all that garbage myself.

I thought I read in the paper last year that they have had to dip into the utilities to help pay for this asinine law suit with the county.

[hopealong]

Originally Posted by momma

Pirate I'm a little slow sometimes on this stuff too I'd like someone to explain all that garbage myself.

I thought I read in the paper last year that they have had to dip into the utilities to help pay for this asinine law suit with the county.

For quite some time now, even during the previous administration, electric reserve funds were transferred to the general fund for administrative costs. Dispite a caveat against the practice from the state Auditor, Craig continued the practice. This may explain why you're seeing no benefit from this.

[momma]

I got a letter in the mail today explaining the hike in the bill. It does say that money was used to pay for this silly law suit with the county. The whole think irks me. I didn't start the suit in the first place.

[Stewie]

I know some will accuse me of pettiness, but...

So, I got my bill in the mail a couple of weeks ago AND a letter today attempting to explain away the bill's increases.

I don't suppose the City could have combined the two and saved a bit of postage?

But hey, at least they had fresh brewed coffee when they were composing the letter.

[tjef]

i want to see how many agree with me on this. this lawsuit is not our probllom to deal with. we should not have to pay there bills for this. they are the ones that stuck there nose in that not us. if this was 10 years ago i whould have started a petition and took it to the town meeting. but we all know you go there to hear a bunch of huu blaa about things we don't need and then hear the vote of things we do need shot down. but hey what am i to say i might be breaking an ord. for saying what i think. look at the city hall that we did not need what so ever we had a good thing going at the civic center. but that got stoped now we have outsiders in to stragtin it out.

[Luke]

Originally Posted by piratexox

From the link:

I might add that the electric reserve had reached its peak of $19 million dollars plus not because the City had been overcharging on its electric rates but because the City had been receiving annual rebates from the wholesale electric provider for a number of years. The prior Councils had been saving those rebates in the electric reserve. When accumulated interest was added, it did not take long for the reserve to build to a substantial amount. This enabled Council to subsidize your electric bills for the past year.

It time for the mayor to come clean. The city through his leadership is ripping off the citizens of Lebanon and putting out misleading information about how and why it is being done. They supposedly subsidize $5.5 million out of a $19 million fund? That should leave $14.5 million in the fund. But the fund is well below that number. It had $6.3 million, less then half of what the mayor is currently willing to account for. Take a look at the city budget (http://www.lebanonmissouri.org/Docum...w.aspx?DID=465) on page 139 . It is obvious that money is still flowing out of what is to be used for only electrical expenses. We are not stupid mayor. We can read and do the math ourselves. The mayor and city council can start telling the complete and accurate facts now and let's get this mess fixed. Mayor, it is time to show some real leadership now.

[piratexox]

Luke the budget game continues. We're going to shorten this cycle. Check it out here:

http://mo-lebanon.civicplus.com/arch...37&Type=&ADID=

Look under Jan. 23rd.

[firefighter]

Originally Posted by Luke

It time for the mayor to come clean. The city through his leadership is ripping off the citizens of Lebanon and putting out misleading information about how and why it is being done. They supposedly subsidize $5.5 million out of a $19 million fund? That should leave $14.5 million in the fund. But the fund is well below that number. It had $6.3 million, less then half of what the mayor is currently willing to account for. Take a look at the city budget (http://www.lebanonmissouri.org/Docum...w.aspx?DID=465) on page 139 . It is obvious that money is still flowing out of what is to be used for only electrical expenses. We are not stupid mayor. We can read and do the math ourselves. The mayor and city council can start telling the complete and accurate facts now and let's get this mess fixed. Mayor, it is time to show some real leadership now.

He was suppose to be the change that the city needed. He was going to follow the recommendations of the Auditor to a T....of course those were just election promises....