Whooopeeee. Some folks are making noise about how the city budget did not include a mill levy increase.
Of course not. We have our 5% franchise fee. Wheeeeeeee. OK, let's use the KISS theory. Your utility bills have a franchise fee on them. The fee is 5% of the utility bill. Basically that goes back to the utility because that is what the city is charging them and state law allows the utilities to pass that on. That is why, when it came up in the summer of 2009 many folks (including me) spoke out against it. See what happens, is that everytine the utility rates go up, that 5% goes up. Every time you use more gas and/or electricity your bill goes up (think super hot summer or super cold winter...look at next month's bill for the effect of the July heat), and your 5% franchise fee amount goes up.
Way back when..............I said that eventually folks might forget it was the city that levied this and would start holding it against the utilities.
So, there are folks who can pat themselves on the back and make themselves look and sound good for not raising the mill levy............but just look at that franchise fee. Up, up and away....... in our rising utility costs, translated to franchise fee, translated to.............tax.
