City may save up to $100K
With new electric contract

by Dolores Hamilton
Monday night the Iowa Park City Council voted to allow the city administrator to execute an electric purchase contract with the lowest,most responsible bidder. On Tuesday the city received and accepted a bid of 5.38 cents per kilowatt hour from TXU Energy. The rate is good for three years.

At the rate quoted by TXU Energy, there is the potential to save $100,000 from this year’s budget, mostly in the water and sewer department,” City Administrator Mike Price said.

Iowa Park’s current electric purchase contract with Direct Energy through Cities Aggregation Power Project, Inc. (CAPP) will expire on Dec. 31. Price told the council that the rate, if the city stays with CAPP but doesn’t enter a long term agreement, would be around 7.65 to 8.2 cents per kilowatt hour.

The council members indicated they didn’t want to go with another long-term electric purchase contract through CAPP. Price told them that the city could secure a three year term rate that is close to the long-term rate being offered through CAPP. He said he had received a rate quote from Tri-Eagle Energy and was expecting to receive a quote from TXU Energy. Tri-Eagle’s rate on Tuesday was 5.7015.

The city held its surplus property auction on Saturday morning at the old Barbour pipe yard on West Highway.

Price said he was disappointed in the low bids.The auction items which included various vehicles, miscellaneous items and real property brought in $17,124. Out of that amount, $1,875 will go into the police department’s forfeiture account.

The winning bids were accepted by the council.

In other business a resolution was passed expressing support for the “Raise Your Hand Texas” campaign which advocates the strengthening of the Texas Education system.

The bipartisan group is made up of business and community leaders, parents and taxpayers. The main objectives are:

Celebrate the outstanding work done by Texas teachers, administrators and students; Defend our public schools against criticism that is unfair or inaccurate; and Strengthen our public schools by seeking additional state resources and making common sense suggestions that will help provide a safe and effective learning environment for all Texas children.

Another resolution was approved adopting the National League of Cities platform for strengthening families and improving outcomes for children and youth.

A waiver of the city’s handbill ordinance to allow Pack 7 Cub Scouts to distribute flyers throughout the city asking residents to donate non-perishable foods to the Iowa Park Food Bank was approved. The Scouts will be distributing the flyers on Saturday, Nov. 8, and will pick up the food items on Saturday, Nov. 15.They are asking people to place the items in a sack on their front porches.

The re-appointment of Jeff Watts to the Wichita Appraisal District’s Board of Directors was approved. His two-year term begins Jan. 1, 2009.