WPU approves 2009 electric dept. plan

Talk about it

WORTHINGTON — The Worthington Public Utilities Water and Light Commission voted Monday to approve the 2009 Electric Department Strategic Financial Plan.

In regard to the 2009 WPU budget, commissioners discussed the city’s request to increase the amount transferred to the city general fund from the existing $0.00275 per kilowatt hour used to $0.003.

“Essentially, the budget will not change if the commission opts to go that way … it’s still a little bit better than a break-even budget,” said Scott Hain, WPU general manager.

“My thought is whatever’s excess from us doing our job, providing utilities service and providing stuff in good order and taking care of our employees in a reasonable manner, then I don’t see any reason why we don’t transfer the balance,” said Commission Member Scott Bradley.

Member Randy Thompson said WPU should continue with the current rate, citing the need to retain funds for unforeseen projects.

“We need to maintain our capitol reserves and use them to take care of our customers if we have a catastrophe,” he said.

The board decided to approve the budget as is, retaining the existing transfer rate of $.00275, with the possibility of changing it at some point in 2009.

The retail power rate will remain the same, while the projected purchase power cost adjustment will increase, running customers an average of $ 0.00781 (about 8/10ths of a cent) more per kilowatt hour used.

Depending on use of kilowatt hours, the typical bill for a residential property could increase by $1.56 to $15.62 per month in 2009. For a commercial facility, that increase would be from $3.91 to $156.20 per month.

The budget actually decreased by about 3 percent in terms of locally controlled costs, Hain said. But a more than 20 percent increase in power costs from the city’s two power suppliers — which accounts for about 87 percent of the operation and maintenance budget — caused the rate increase.

“We kind of did everything we could locally to hold it down,” he said. Commissioners also discussed the use of Lots 1 and 2 in the Bioscience Park for the hotel and Community Center Complex. They agreed that as partial stakeholders in the land, they would agree with selling the lots to Ruhr Development for those projects.

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