Monday, April 26, 2010

Sock It To Me

Who remembers the old Rowan & Martin show "Laugh In"? Remember the old 'sock it to me' antics? They were funny.

We have a current 'sock it to me' though that is not funny. That is the franchise fee that was enacted last August. Some of the council members spoke out against it because, among other things, they attempted to point out that as the utilities got rate increases, the dollar amount of the franchise fee would also increase.

Well, apparently KCP&L has applied for yet another price increase. The Kansas Corporate Commission is holding a public hearing on the proposed increase on Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 7PM. It will be at the Matt Ross Community Center, Crown Room, 8101 Marty, OP, KS 66214.

People in Shawnee will get hit with the double whammy......or a double 'sock it to me'.......higher utility rates and higher franchise fees. One would think that because of that it would be newsworthy. Still, I don't remember reading about it in the local media (Shawnee Dispatch).

Just an FYI............. of the current sitting council only Pflumm and Distler were against the franchise fee. Kuhn, Sandifer & Sawyer voted for it, with Mayor Meyers breaking the tie. Of the former council members who were on the council when it came to a vote, Goode & Straub voted against it and Scott voted for it.

Side chuckle: Ironically, three months after introducing the motion to create the ordinance for the franchise fee Ms Scott purchased her new home in Arizona. Was this her going away 'gift' to Shawnee?