Wilson NC - ElectriCities can save money with simple cuts
Sunday, August 10, 2008 at 9:35 AM
Posted in ElectriCities
by DCN
This should be posted everywhere, even on billboards along the highways across North Carolina and on the walls of each of the ElectriCities board members.
Everyone that reads this need to copy and paste it to the board members:
Dear Members of the ElectriCities Board of Directors:
Sam Noble, Chairman, samnoble@tarboro-nc.com
500 Main Street
PO Box 220
Tarboro, NC 27886-0221
Sam Noble, Chairman, samnoble@tarboro-nc.com
500 Main Street
PO Box 220
Tarboro, NC 27886-0221
Bruce Rose, Mayor, Wilson, http://www.wilsonnc.org/contacts/id/718/
City of Wilson
112 Goldsboro Street East
Wilson, NC 27893
City of Wilson
112 Goldsboro Street East
Wilson, NC 27893
Fred Turnage, mayorturnage@msn.com
24 MOCKINGBIRD LN
ROCKY MOUNT, NC 27804
John Craft, jpcraft@lagrangenc.com
PO Box 368
La Grange, NC 28551
Wilson Lacy
Fayetteville PWC
PO Box 1089
Fayetteville, NC 28302
Ron Elks
Greenville Utilities
P.O. Box 1847
Greenville, NC 27835
Mark Williams
401 East Elm Avenue
Wake Forest, NC 27587-2932
24 MOCKINGBIRD LN
ROCKY MOUNT, NC 27804
John Craft, jpcraft@lagrangenc.com
PO Box 368
La Grange, NC 28551
Wilson Lacy
Fayetteville PWC
PO Box 1089
Fayetteville, NC 28302
Ron Elks
Greenville Utilities
P.O. Box 1847
Greenville, NC 27835
Mark Williams
401 East Elm Avenue
Wake Forest, NC 27587-2932
ElectriCities can save money with simple cuts
As an informed citizen and one who is concerned that the increase in electric rates will be detrimental to business and residents, I request that you consider these cuts in ElectriCities budget at the Aug. 22 meeting as a gesture that you understand that you should make cuts like local government and individuals have to do with their budgets and to apply the savings to a fund for the future or to reduce this rate in any way possible. We have carefully researched these issues and regardless of the spin your staff puts on them in the press or false information they provide, we know these amounts exist. Much of the documentation is already at hand.
1. Cut $174,000 per year for board member salaries (all of them, not just the east), starting Sept. 1 since the rate increase started Aug. 1.
2. Reduce CEO salary to $250,000, a cost savings of $200,000 and termination of current contract for the CEO amid mismanagement, misallocation of funds for staff salary increases and other expenses, including debt refinancing.
3. Eliminate out of state annual meeting, a savings of more than $100,000 plus the additional costs cities incur for travel, meals and lodging. Make this meeting a one day event in an electric city at a conference center. It looks bad to be at resorts when residents are cutting their travel.
4. Eliminate staff retreats, out of state travel, savings of more than $200,000
5. Eliminate multiple positions in senior management and manager level management and salary adjustments eliminating double digit salary increases over the past five years, savings of more than $2 million (note: 23 people make more than $100,000 and 29 people make between $80,000 and $100,000). Many have received 50 percent increases over five years. Others have received 15-20 percent increases in one year.
6. Eliminate of contract lobbyists and excessive staff lobbyists based on excessive turnover (80 percent), savings of $500,000 (note: ElectriCities has 14 lobbyists, Progress Energy has three and the electric cooperatives have eight) and no matter how you spin the words to construe "reported lobbying or grassroots" the fact remains there is a lot more money in this budget than you reported to the newspaper.
7. Restrict the legal budget expenses to $150,000, savings of more than $400,000. Eliminating the CEO will prevent settlements driving these costs up.
8. Freeze hiring, effective Aug. 23, 2008.
As an informed citizen and one who is concerned that the increase in electric rates will be detrimental to business and residents, I request that you consider these cuts in ElectriCities budget at the Aug. 22 meeting as a gesture that you understand that you should make cuts like local government and individuals have to do with their budgets and to apply the savings to a fund for the future or to reduce this rate in any way possible. We have carefully researched these issues and regardless of the spin your staff puts on them in the press or false information they provide, we know these amounts exist. Much of the documentation is already at hand.
1. Cut $174,000 per year for board member salaries (all of them, not just the east), starting Sept. 1 since the rate increase started Aug. 1.
2. Reduce CEO salary to $250,000, a cost savings of $200,000 and termination of current contract for the CEO amid mismanagement, misallocation of funds for staff salary increases and other expenses, including debt refinancing.
3. Eliminate out of state annual meeting, a savings of more than $100,000 plus the additional costs cities incur for travel, meals and lodging. Make this meeting a one day event in an electric city at a conference center. It looks bad to be at resorts when residents are cutting their travel.
4. Eliminate staff retreats, out of state travel, savings of more than $200,000
5. Eliminate multiple positions in senior management and manager level management and salary adjustments eliminating double digit salary increases over the past five years, savings of more than $2 million (note: 23 people make more than $100,000 and 29 people make between $80,000 and $100,000). Many have received 50 percent increases over five years. Others have received 15-20 percent increases in one year.
6. Eliminate of contract lobbyists and excessive staff lobbyists based on excessive turnover (80 percent), savings of $500,000 (note: ElectriCities has 14 lobbyists, Progress Energy has three and the electric cooperatives have eight) and no matter how you spin the words to construe "reported lobbying or grassroots" the fact remains there is a lot more money in this budget than you reported to the newspaper.
7. Restrict the legal budget expenses to $150,000, savings of more than $400,000. Eliminating the CEO will prevent settlements driving these costs up.
8. Freeze hiring, effective Aug. 23, 2008.
9. Restrict salary adjustments to 2 percent for the lowest paid employees only (below $50,000) for the next three years. Elimination of bonuses.
10. Streamline functions within ElectriCities to achieve elimination of positions.
11. Eliminate the October employee appreciation day -- off-site lunch, prepaid credit card -- cost savings $10,000.
12. Eliminate purchase of Logo items - stressballs, pens, plastic calculators, little flashlights, etc, etc. -- cost savings $200,000.
13. Eliminate out of state travel for trade shows. No need to spend money on booths and staff travel and give-aways to go to trade shows. No competition -- cost savings $100,000
14. Cut excessive magazine/newspaper/web subscriptions.-trade journals, websites and newspapers - $5000 cost savings
15. Cut out catering dollars, bottled water, cans of coke and coffeee service, hotel meeting space and catering costs. Have meetings on member city property or at headquarters. Bring a bag lunch. Cost savings $50,000
16. Eliminate the perk of board members drive up the night before and stay at Raleigh hotels and go out to dinner and charge it all back to ElectriCities. All cities are in driving distance. Cost savings $12,000.
17. Eliminate multiple lawyer/lobbying assistance costs. Savings of $120,000.
18. Printing -- $100,000 for their annual report that is late. Use a CD for financials. Cut half the brochures, economic development slicks, and fact sheets. Apparently there are 10-12 outside consultants, printers and others who develop these publications even though there are six or seven staff. Cut $100,000 Printing, $250,000 consultants, printers, writers. Print what is necessary. Cost savings $350,000
19. Advertising -- cut for now, cities do it anyway. Public Power week -- cut all the freebies. Economic development ads -- cut some. Cost savings $200,000.
19. Eliminate Energy Solution Partners -- cost savings of $100,000.
20. Cut sponsorships to three or four key ones, including transmission collaboration meetings ($200k), economic development conferences and Association of Broadcasters meetings, Friends of N.C. Cost savings $300,000.
21. Cut American Public Power Association meetings -- numerous APPA events and conferences throughout the year at places like Colorado, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, etc. Cut all but absolutely necessary and save $150,000.
22. Lobbying events -- cut Legislative Appreciation receptions in Raleigh and a Congressional reception in D.C. $30,000 cost savings.
23. Professional memberships -- cut to the absolutely necessary -- cost savings $100,000
24. Eliminated twice a year golf and fishing events, numerous golf outings, gym equipment, bathroom renovations, commissioned art, big screen TVs in meeting rooms. Cut for cost savings of $250,000
25. Eliminate the political action committee. It looks terrible to give money from staff salary increases and bonuses to legislators at a time like this and they look bad receiving it.
Even though you attest that your budget is bare bones, these are areas we identified where you can cut, and we have not even investigated consultants except in economic development, communications and lobbying. These cuts still leaves funds for the critical activities. So it seems there is room for at least, based on minimal information, $6 million to $7 million in cuts which will make an impression on people in eastern N.C.
We do support the suggestion that this board no longer make these decisions; these decisions should be before the commissioners of the power agency, and city councils should be invited to attend those meetings. We further support the eastern agency separating from the western agency due to cost and other issues.
10. Streamline functions within ElectriCities to achieve elimination of positions.
11. Eliminate the October employee appreciation day -- off-site lunch, prepaid credit card -- cost savings $10,000.
12. Eliminate purchase of Logo items - stressballs, pens, plastic calculators, little flashlights, etc, etc. -- cost savings $200,000.
13. Eliminate out of state travel for trade shows. No need to spend money on booths and staff travel and give-aways to go to trade shows. No competition -- cost savings $100,000
14. Cut excessive magazine/newspaper/web subscriptions.-trade journals, websites and newspapers - $5000 cost savings
15. Cut out catering dollars, bottled water, cans of coke and coffeee service, hotel meeting space and catering costs. Have meetings on member city property or at headquarters. Bring a bag lunch. Cost savings $50,000
16. Eliminate the perk of board members drive up the night before and stay at Raleigh hotels and go out to dinner and charge it all back to ElectriCities. All cities are in driving distance. Cost savings $12,000.
17. Eliminate multiple lawyer/lobbying assistance costs. Savings of $120,000.
18. Printing -- $100,000 for their annual report that is late. Use a CD for financials. Cut half the brochures, economic development slicks, and fact sheets. Apparently there are 10-12 outside consultants, printers and others who develop these publications even though there are six or seven staff. Cut $100,000 Printing, $250,000 consultants, printers, writers. Print what is necessary. Cost savings $350,000
19. Advertising -- cut for now, cities do it anyway. Public Power week -- cut all the freebies. Economic development ads -- cut some. Cost savings $200,000.
19. Eliminate Energy Solution Partners -- cost savings of $100,000.
20. Cut sponsorships to three or four key ones, including transmission collaboration meetings ($200k), economic development conferences and Association of Broadcasters meetings, Friends of N.C. Cost savings $300,000.
21. Cut American Public Power Association meetings -- numerous APPA events and conferences throughout the year at places like Colorado, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, etc. Cut all but absolutely necessary and save $150,000.
22. Lobbying events -- cut Legislative Appreciation receptions in Raleigh and a Congressional reception in D.C. $30,000 cost savings.
23. Professional memberships -- cut to the absolutely necessary -- cost savings $100,000
24. Eliminated twice a year golf and fishing events, numerous golf outings, gym equipment, bathroom renovations, commissioned art, big screen TVs in meeting rooms. Cut for cost savings of $250,000
25. Eliminate the political action committee. It looks terrible to give money from staff salary increases and bonuses to legislators at a time like this and they look bad receiving it.
Even though you attest that your budget is bare bones, these are areas we identified where you can cut, and we have not even investigated consultants except in economic development, communications and lobbying. These cuts still leaves funds for the critical activities. So it seems there is room for at least, based on minimal information, $6 million to $7 million in cuts which will make an impression on people in eastern N.C.
We do support the suggestion that this board no longer make these decisions; these decisions should be before the commissioners of the power agency, and city councils should be invited to attend those meetings. We further support the eastern agency separating from the western agency due to cost and other issues.
Sincerely yours,
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Sunday, August 10, 2008 - Untitled Comment
mailing letters today calling my town tomorrow for table thanks DancyPosted by Anonymous