NEWS
City absorbing $700,000 to $800,000 in PCR shortfall
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
There was a 4-2 vote this week by the Bowie City Council not to increase the Power Cost Recovery Factor, which is part of the electric customer’s bill.
The item was listed as Power Cost Recovery increase and the council went into closed executive session citing competitive utility issues. After almost an hour the council returned to open session with Councilor TJay McEwen making a motion to accept the recommendation as presented by the city manager.
McEwen and Stephanie Post were the only yes votes with the motion failing. The meeting then adjourned.
There was about a dozen people in the audience who waited out the session many who afterward said on social media they felt their presence staved off a power rate increase. The majority of the city council also did not want to be the ones to raise electric rates which always creates citizen unrest.
With little information about what was proposed, City Manager Bert Cunningham said after the meeting he wanted to help educate the public on the PCRF and why he proposed an increase of .0111 that would have been just under $9 a month for an average residential customer. The city has been absorbing between $718,000 to $$806,000 during the past two fiscal years.
From information also provided to the city council at the meeting, he explained the PCRF is the variable portion of wholesale power costs and changes as needed based on factors in the wholesale market, including, but not limited to, increases or decreases in the cost of natural gas, the fuel that generates most of the electricity in Texas.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
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Montague County Commissioners wrapped up a few items before the end of the year as they met on Dec. 23.
Grant Coordinator Charley Lanier asked the court to go ahead and obligate $276,961.84 from the American Rescue Funds to complete the new wastewater treatment plant that will serve the courthouse complex.
He explained Dec. 30 is the last date where grant funds can be obligated, and he did not expect any issues since this project had already been approved in court using ARPA funds, he called it a “safety net,” to avoid any problem and possible return of the funds to the federal government.
Montague County has about $276,961.84 in grant funds which has not been allocated.
The court gave approval on the request.
Lanier also asked the court to apply for a grant for a tire cutter. Funded through the Nortex Regional Planning Commission and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the application will ask for $26,865 to purchase a larger gas-powered cutter on a trailer, which can be moved around for use. It would cut the larger tires into four pieces, which would be allowed into a landfill. Lanier said if the cutter comes through the county would need to obtain a permit for its use from TCEQ, which he added should not be an issue.
Commissioner Mark Murphey said he picks up more tires abandoned on the county roads than he disposes of at his own yard, adding he probably has 500 at his yard. The court gave approval to apply for this competitive grant.
The remainder of Monday’s brief meeting were year-end items. Bonds for the justice of the peace one, county clerk, county attorney, district attorney, sheriff, commissioner three and constable two were accepted.
A cooperative agreement with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the county was approved, along with a license and services agreement with Local Government Solutions to provide software for both justice of the peace officers. The county attorney’s Chapter 59 Asset Forfeiture report was presented with no new seizures or forfeiture.
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