Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Residents Could See Reduction On Electrical Rates

Residents in the city of Prescott will be getting a rate reduction of nearly a two cents per kilo watt hour (KWH) starting in August if the ordinances passes during a special meeting tomorrow, Thursday, July 30.

All five of the seven City Council members present at the regular session Monday, July 20, voted to approve the rate which reduces the KWH for residential customers to 7.74 cents from the current summer rate of 9.5 cents.

While the rate will reduce summer utility costs the new rate is two-tenths of a cent higher than the winter rates.

If six council members are not present to unanimously approve the measure Thursday, officials will probably wait until the spring to reduce the rate before summer rates take effect.

Officials say city residents will receive a nine-percent rate reduction as an average for a 12-month period.

Lower utility rates for residents come from an eleven-percent rate reduction the city has worked out with Entergy and does not reflect a rate reduction discussed earlier by the council when sewer rates were raised to reflect enough collections for a state funded loan.

Council members will also adopt a 6.08-cent rate for homes classified as 'all electric' if the homes use electricty for the hot water heater.

Prescott owns its own utility company which pays for other services which are not income producing or do not produce enough income to properly operate.

Council members studied current utility rates from around the state. This study reflects utility rates as low as 2.89 cents per KWH in Conway to 7.23 cents per KWH by Entergy as Farmers Electric Co-op.

In other items, the council will meet at 6:30 p.m. on its regular meeting night of Monday, August 17, to continue condemnation procedures against a home at 742 Greenlawn in Prescott.

Mayor Howard Taylor told council members the home is apparently owned by the state of Arkansas for non-payment of taxes.

Council members studied a report from the Nevada County Health Department, which noted "extensive dry rot with holes in the floor, foundation damage."

Supervisor Alan Dreesbach, who prepared the report, also said the roof was in poor repair, and the plumbing and the electrical system was substandard and not in a livable condition.

Council members modified the budget for the first time in 1998 at the meeting to reflect real changes.