Update on City Council Meeting
You will be interested to know that the Abilene City Council is aware that the proposed AEP Texas North Company’s proposed Advanced Metering System will cost (YOU) the user money. The Council approved “Intervention” in the plan to install the new equipment. Councilman Stormy Higgins asked City Manager Larry Gilley to be sure that the negotiators between the City and AEP are aware that the Council thinks the company should bear the cost of the meters and not the users. It is likely that a surcharge will be passed along for the meters but he thinks there should be a similar cost reduction because the meters will allow for the meters to be read electronically and no meter readers will be needed in the future as the meters begin being installed. He also said it is not fair that home owners should have to pay a monthly surcharge if they do not have one of the new meters at their home. Mr. Gilley explained that the meters will be phased in and that it is likely that not everyone will have them all at once. He thinks that some homeowners will end up being assessed and not have a meter as yet. Mr. Gilley will pass on the concerns of the Council. The Council approved this consent agenda Resolution after some discussion. The remainder of the 16 items on the consent agenda were approved before the above ” Resolution” was discussed and voted on.
The Council meeting lasted almost five hours and included time for employee recognitions, election validation, thanking Sam Chase for his five years of service as a councilman, and welcoming new councilman Shane Price. A reception for the outgoing and incoming councilmen followed.
For further information on council decisions read the following article by Doug Myers from the Reporter News. Also look at Steve Stovall’s article about his rezoning problem in Sundays newspaper on the editorial page.
Thanks,
Dave Boyll
AAIBO