Staff writer
Hillsboro City Council had a certain spark in its meeting on Monday while discussing the electric rate review.
Mark Chesney of Kansas Power Pool visited with the council about how electric costs will change in 2016.
According to Chesney, rates members will vote on are just about three cents per kilowatt hour less than what was approved last year.
“That has a nice ring to it,” Chesney said, “but in the very same breath, you have to also say that all of this year, the actual costs each month have been less than what were budgeted.”
In other words, even though it sounds less, it actually hasn’t changed.
“So when you compare those two things,” Chesney said, “I think nevertheless it’s maybe a pennyish, maybe a penny and a half or thereabouts less than what the actual has been this year.”
City administrator Larry Paine also discussed the changes in the 2015 budget amendment.
The amendment included increasing budgets for the special highway, K9 police unit, equipment reserve, withholding fund, meter deposit, and fire equipment replacement.
The city will hold a public hearing for the budget amendment at 4 p.m. Dec. 15 at city hall.