Former Water & Light advisory chair calls for audit

Conway was chairman of the Water and Light Advisory Board for 14 of the 28 years he served, leaving the board in 2018. The five-member Water and Light Advisory Board is appointed by the city council to provide citizen oversight of the Water & Light Department. Following are Conway’s comments in their entirety:

“I would like to make it clear that my purpose is not to attack staff or city leaders, however I do not believe that asking for accountability equates to personal attacks.

“My voice may not be wanted but it is warranted. The continued perception that I will at some point walk away from what could be an unmitigated disaster is simply wrong.

“What is your limit for placing the burden of utility rate increases on the base charge of electric and water before the burden increases the monthly utility costs whereby the number of past due accounts increases greater than the current historic level? Last September, the city council raised the water base charge by $2.00 and chose not to distribute the rate increase to those that actually use the most water. The same approach is being recommended to you for the base charge increases for the electric rate structure.

“Closely aligned with this misplaced rate philosophy, the city’s goal to provide efforts to achieve some recognition for “conservation” is totally lost. This approach is not consistent with the goals of the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. You no longer have any sense of conservation for our valuable natural resources in the position you took with the water rate increase and now will be doing the same for the electric rate increase.

“The lack of progress with the 2015 Electric Bond Issue and 2018 Water Bond Issue must have managerial consequences. The city continually demonstrates that they cannot control the consultants to a contracted schedule to complete projects in a timely fashion, which has always been a past favorable trademark of the Water and Light Department. Another example of this lack of control is the lack of progress for the Growth Impact Study that began in October of 2020. It is recommended that in order to change the behavior and create more urgency on the part of the City Manager’s office that oversees CIP projects, starting with the FY24 Capital Improvement Program for water and electric, it should be withheld until past promises are met and a clear path to completion is evident. Otherwise, the ratepayer will continue to suffer from this misplaced project management that puts both utilities at risk. Is there sufficient staff to reasonably administer the current CIP from year to year in a timely manner.

“It is a known fact that the Water Treatment Plant Project and West Ash Pump Station Project are substantially out of budget to build the original scope of each project. Given the availability of ARPA Funds in the amount of $12.5 million and infrastructure being an eligible funding activity, you would think the Council and City Manager would have enough forethought to work with staff to expedite the bidding of the projects to identify the amount of additional funds needed to complete these projects. These projects are basic infrastructure to provide drinking water for the 120,000 residents. The remaining ARPA funds could be directed to citizen priorities.

“It is recommended that the City Council take immediate steps to have the city’s “Performance Auditor” conduct a performance audit of the City Manager’s office and the Water and Light Department as it relates to the city’s utilities.

“In the 109-year history of the Water and Light Department, the department is at an all time low in its performance and ratepayer confidence.”