Did you know that
City Council Could but Will Not Lower Utility Bills NOW?
So, last week's LlanoWatch
article suggested that the 13.75% utility bill
tax be rescinded. Alderman Allen
Hopson responded to the article saying most of the information is not
true and that I "pack your bags, sell your house, and move out of this
town." Mayor Virdell spewed his usual vitriol
with "your hate is the cancer in this town..I have never read a word of
your dribble." I think he meant "drivel," but in either case, how would
he know if he never reads it? And when will our politicians realize they
are servants of the people?
Well, was the article "not true" or was it factual?
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Is my statement
"our City Council has voted to tax the utility bill to pay for other
city services" true and is it "13.5%"? Yes. I even showed the
ordinance #1288 and highlighted the 13.5% in red. It is true. It is
a fact.
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Is the 13.5% tax hidden? It is definitely not on
the utility bill. It isn't on the
city
website or
the rate page linked to from the city website. It isn't even in
Municode where our ordinances are stored. It
is actually called a franchise fee in the ordinance not a tax.
I call that hidden.
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Is a 13.5% tax on utilities, that is used to pay
for other city services, immoral? The ordinance says that the 13.5%
tax is "paid to the General Fund." The golf
course is as an example from the general fund. It is a failing
business owned by the city. Council is happy when it only loses
$200,000/year. Many of the users of the golf course are RVers that
don't even live in Llano. Llano has many low income and fixed income
citizens. Median income in Llano is less than $30,000.
So, to spell it out, the city is adding a 13.5% tax on all your
utilities to pay for the mismanagement of a golf course which
subsidizes Winter Texans. That is but one example of the waste by
our City government that your utility tax supports. That is immoral.
I could also have said unscrupulous, unethical, or corrupt.
Utility customers who get electricity from CTEC don't pay this tax,
which makes it even more immoral.
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Can it be rescinded NOW? Of
course. Just add an agenda item to the next council meeting to
rescind it. Then have council instruct the City Manager to adjust
the budget. At the last council meeting they moved budget items from
last year to this year and funded things they thought were
important. Move stuff and change again. This is important.
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See the LlanoWatch
article for the facts on the
illegal, hidden $4 tax.
Thus, the article is factual. So, a reasonable,
studied approach to lowering utility bills gets a response from Alderman
Hopson and Mayor Virdell that the idea is flawed and I should leave
town.
This is how they deal with citizen input? Like toddlers having a
tantrum? See the article on where the hate
comes from.
Now, Alderman
Allen Hopson was chosen by Mayor Virdell to lead a citizen committee to
investigate the high electric bills. With his demonstrated attitude
toward citizen suggestions and his lack of leadership and task force
experience, there isn't much hope unless the citizens take charge.
Otherwise, we will have to wait for the next budget cycle.
Marc Sewell
LLlanoWatch Editor
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ORDINANCE NO. 1288
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LLANO, TEXAS,
ESTABLISHING AN ANNUAL FEE IN LIEU OF PAYMENT OF A FRANCISE FEE
BY THE CITY OF LLANO UTILITIES.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL:
SECTION 1. For the fiscal year of 2014-2015, a
franchise fee of 13.75 percent of the gross revenues of the
Utility Fund
shall be paid to the General Fund.
SECTION 2. This franchise fee shall become effective upon
implementation of the 2014-2015 Budget on October 1, 2014.
PASSED AND APPROVED, this the 15th day of
September, 2014.
________________________
Mike Virdell, Mayor
ATTEST:
___________________________
Toni Milam, City Secretary
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