Laserfiche WebLink
M. <br />19 <br />MR. MCKENNA NOTED THAT FOR THE PAST 16 YEARS SOUTHERN GULF <br />UTILITIES HAS CHOSEN TO BILL LOWER RATES THAN THOSE ALLOWED BY THE FRAN- <br />CHISE, WHICH, OF COURSE, PROVIDED THEM A LOWER INCOME. HE CONTINUED THAT <br />THE STAFF HAD REVIEWED COMPARABLE RATES OF UTILITIES THAT ARE OFFERING <br />GENERAL AREA SERVICE, SUCH AS MID -FLORIDA UTILITIES AND IXORA UTILITIES, <br />AND DID NOT FEEL THE COUNTY WOULD BE JUSTIFIED IN APPROVING RATES CONSID- <br />ERABLY IN EXCESS OF CURRENT RATES FOR rOMPANIES_ALREADY IN THE BUSINESS. <br />THE RATES THEY ARE RECOMMENDING ARE ALMOST EXACTLY DOUBLE THE PRESENT RATES <br />BEING CHARGED BY SOUTHERN GULF UTILITIES. ! <br />1 <br />MR. MCKENNA THEN EXPLAINED THAT THEY HAD BASED THE PROJECTED <br />INCOME TO BE OBTAINED FROM THEIR RECOMMENDED RATES ON THE SOUTHERN GULF <br />BILLINGS STATEMENT FOR FEBRUARY, 1976, THE LOWEST OF THE THREE MONTHS OF <br />FEBRUARY, MARCH AND APRIL, 1976, WHICH THEY HAD AVERAGED TO SHOW A PRO- <br />JECTED INCOME BASED ON THE PRESENT RATES. ACCORDING TO THEIR COMPUTATIONS, <br />THEIR RECOMMENDED RATES WOULD INCREASE THE WATER INCOME 1.97 TIMES AND <br />THE SEWER INCOME 2.00 TIMES. <br />A QUESTION AROSE AS TO WHETHER EVERYTHING OVER 4,500 GALLONS <br />WOULD BE BILLED PER 1,000 GALLONS OR PROPORTIONS THEREOF. <br />LOWELL LOHMAN, PRESIDENT OF TREASURE COAST UTILITIES, STATED <br />THAT FOR ANYTHING OVER 500 GALLONS, YOU GO TO THE NEXT FULL THOUSAND, BUT <br />FOR ANYTHING LESS THAN 500 GALLONS, YOU DROP BACK, AND THIS AVERAGES OUT <br />OVER A YEAR. t <br />DISCUSSION FOLLOWED AS TO WHETHER THE MONTHS OF FEBRUARY, <br />MARCH AND APRIL WOULD REPRESENT A TYPICAL AVERAGE, OR WHETHER OTHER MONTHS <br />MIGHT REFLECT A SLIGHTLY HIGHER INCOME. <br />COMMISSIONER MASSEY ENTERED THE MEETING AT 7:30 O'CLOCK P.M. <br />CHAIRMAN SIEBERT ASKED MR. LOHMAN IF HE WISHED TO COMMENT ON <br />THE STAFF ®S SUGGESTED RATES, <br />MR. LOHMAN STATED THAT HE DID NOT FEEL IT IS FAIR TO COMPARE <br />THEIR REQUEST FOR A RATE INCREASE TO THE IXORA PARK UTILITIES RATE IN- <br />CREASE AS THEIR SITUATION IS NOT AT ALL THE SAME, THEY ARE A PRIVATE <br />UTILITY COMPANY AND HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE DEVELOPING OF WHISPERING <br />PALMS AND DIXIE GARDENS AND, CONSEQUENTLY, HAVE RECEIVED NO INCOME FROM <br />t. <br />3 4 <br />• 4 <br />APR 2 8 1976 <br />i <br />