Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Small industry utility ordinance passed

Prescott's City Council passed a new ordinance concerning electric rates for small industries.

This was done Monday, April 19, at its regular monthly meeting. Larry Stockton, electric department superintendent, said a committee was formed in February to work and make the rates more competitive with neighboring towns for smaller industrial customers.

Large industrial customers and homeowners have different electric rates.

Stockton said the new rate was made as low as the city could possibly make it and still make a profit. Customers with a 55 percent load factor, he said, will be charged 4.49 cents per kilowatt hour, while those customers with a 35 percent load level will pay 5.35 cents per kWh.

I feel this rate is close to the cost of power," he said. However, this rate could change in the near future as Prescott is negotiating with Entergy for electricity. The city's contract with the energy provider will run out in about a year. "The way things are," he added, "any change in our cost and we'll have to come back and raise our rates."

Jon Chadwell, executive director of the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office, said the committee went with the code standard definition of small industry. Industry, he said, is defined as taking raw material and adding value to it, then selling the product wholesale instead of retail. These industries wouldn't qualify as small industries.

A code list, he said, could be kept at City Hall for clarification. Prescott will be going with what the state uses to classify industries, which has different codes defining primary business.

Most retail businesses, he said turn money over in town that's already here. However, a plant sells its products elsewhere, uses the money it receives to pay its employees and brings new money into town, thereby increasing the local economy. This, he said, is why most towns feel they need to give a break on utility rates to industrial customers.

The council approved the rate ordinance, which amended Ordinance 2 of 1999.

However, it should be pointed out this new rate has nothing to do with homeowners or residential electric rates in Prescott.

Congressman Mike Ross was at the meeting to talk about the federal Highway Transportation Bill. This bill, he said, is done every six years and provides funding for all highway projects across the nation.

The House and Senate have passed their versions, he said, and a conference committee will examine the differences before sending the bill back. Once this is done, it will be sent to the President for his signature. Ross said one of the unusual things about this bill is how the Republican Party is fighting among itself. Originally, the spending limit for highway projects was set at $250 billion, even though $1 trillion in highway work is needed in America. The final package totals $275 billion.

This money, Ross said will filter down to three funds, including improvements for interstates. "I feel good we'll get money for I-49 and I-69."

Each district in the nation receives some money from the discretionary fund. The average each Congressman gets, he said, is $14 million, but Ross managed to obtain $64 million for Arkansas' Fourth District. This includes funding for the overpass project in Prescott.

The bill will fund 80 percent of the overpass costs, with the city required to come up with the remaining 20 percent. Ross said the money would be paid out over six years, but the Arkansas Highway Department has permission, if it chooses, to go ahead and build the overpass as the money is guaranteed  or will be once the bill is signed into law.

"This is a safety issue," Ross said. "People are getting killed at the railroad crossings. You need to get in touch with your state senators and representatives and get them to talk to the AHD to get this started soon."

But, he said, the worst case scenario would be the overpass wouldn't be built for six years.

According to Ross, the money he obtained for the Fourth District will fund 34 projects. "I don't look for the funding to change, and as this isn't a huge amount for the AHD."

Nick Hibbs, new owner of the Nevada County Ambulance Service, addressed the council, saying former owner Chad Cornelius built a good service and plans are to take what Cornelius did and build on it. Hibbs said he wants to modernize the service and continue providing good service to the people of Nevada County. "A lot can be done by ambulance personnel to save people's lives," he said.

The NCAS, Hibbs said, will continue offering the same services, contracts and memberships it did under Cornelius.

Chadwell addressed the council with an update on what's been going on with the EDO. He said the beautification work done by the Chamber has been noticed across the state, and mentioned in national meetings.

Work has begun on the new fire station on the east side of town, with an eight-inch slab being poured. Once the slab is in, he said, the rest should go quickly as this is a metal building.

The walking-jogging trail by the Nevada County Health Unit will be 2,300 feet total and lighted. Plans for this project, he said, are done. They include a concrete spot for handicap people who may use it, and this includes a ramp for wheelchair accessibility.

A grant was obtained to purchase five benches, which will be placed around the track so people can rest when they get tired, and a grant has been written for exercise equipment for the track. If it's obtained, the equipment will be installed in one location near the parking lot. In the past, the equipment was scattered around the track.

Chadwell also wrote a grant for the Prescott-Nevada County Library. If it's approved, he said, there would be money to keep the library open later and do different programs.