By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter
It’s a safe bet most people, perhaps all people, hate to see electric bills rise.
Is Williston destined for higher electric rates or possibly higher gas rates too? The answer is a definite maybe.
It looks like it’s headed that direction, at least for electric rates.
The Williston City Council will listen to a rate study presentation at a workshop at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 10 in City Hall.
Council members must decide what to do about rates.
Election Winners Could Influence Rates
The city election is set for March 1. That means the people elected to office may have some influence over electric and gas rates. The only two races on the ballot are the mayor and Seat D candidates. Council President Debra Jones was re-elected to office when she didn’t draw an opponent.
Incumbent Councilwoman Darfeness Hinds is being challenged by Zach Bullock for Seat D. Mayor Jerry Robinson is being challenged by former Council President Charles Goodman and Daniel Stewart.
Stewart has had a couple of brushes with the law related to children. Williston police accused him of causing physical harm to a minor in September of 2019 and arrested him. The charge was dropped by the State Attorney’s office in Gainesville.
“He was accused of causing physical harm to a minor. After an investigation into the incident, our agency found enough probable cause to make an arrest. The State Attorney decided not to move forward with the case,” Strow said on Feb. 10.
Stewart pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of endangering children in Perry County, Ohio in 2012. He was booked on 2-1-2012 and released on 3-2-2012, according to records provided to Spotlight. Records of his arrest in Williston were also provided to Spotlight.
The two cases surfaced because Stewart is running for mayor of Williston and background and character issues tend to become public during elections. The person elected mayor of Williston will have some contact with children when students of the month awards are presented at council meetings. The mayor usually doesn’t touch the children but presents them with certificates and reads a message from their teachers.
As for Stewart’s two opponents in the mayor’s race, Robinson and Goodman are well-known figures in Williston city government. Robinson served for many years as a city councilman before running for mayor after the late Gerald Hethcoat retired. Goodman served for many years on the city council and was council president the last time he served, but resigned in mid-term.
Hints of Rate Hike
City Public Works Director Jonathen Bishop hinted at the most recent council meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 8, that a rate adjustment is possible for electricity. The city operates its own electric utility and gas utility. Bishop said the gas ordinance is outdated.
He said current electric rates won’t sustain the city after 2026. He was referring to the pressures from economic growth, the cost of materials, cost of labor and other factors, and the annual practice of transferring up to $600,000 out of the electric/utility fund to support police and fire.
Bishop said Williston has one of the lowest electric rates among municipal governments in Florida that operate electric utilities. Turns out, Williston’s rates are relatively low. The Florida Public Service Commission confirmed Williston’s rates are low and invited Spotlight to visit the Florida Municipal Electric Association to see a monthly bill comparison for December 2021.
The website said Williston doesn’t have the lowest municipal electric rates in the state. Those honors belong to New Smyrna Beach, Homestead, and Mount Dora. Three charts are posted with this story showing where Williston ranks.
The December 2021 chart comparing the cost of 1,200-kilowatt hours shows Williston is fourth from the bottom in what it charges for electricity among 38 cities in the state that operate electric utilities. Lakeland, Homestead, and New Smyrna Beach have lower rates. Clewiston and Florida Power and Light are a little more expensive than Williston.
A second chart comparing what residents pay for 1,000 kilowatt-hours of power shows Williston is also low. The statewide municipal average is $120 per month. The chart shows the average monthly power bill in Williston for 1000 kilowatt hours is about $108.
In his presentation to the council on Feb. 8, Bishop said the city’s electric rates are low and “will cease to be a long-term solution for general funding of the City of Williston without a rate adjustment.”
City Finance Director Stephen Bloom was asked what factors could be influencing the changes in the city’s ability to fund the annual $600,000 transfer of funds to the general fund. He was asked if the addition of new employees was a factor.
“It’s hard to tell. It depends on the growth in terms of what’s expected. If you were to keep the revenue stagnant, the new positions would reduce the amount of revenue to be transferred, but you’ve got to take into consideration growth. That’s what the rate study will do,” Bloom said. “They will look at potential growth, they will look at personnel, they will look at the cost of materials, they will look at what is reasonable given what they expect to spend, as well as potential projects to make sure the infrastructure is maintained. He (Bishop) wants to make sure over the course of time that is considered.”
When new housing projects are developed, the city is responsible for supplying electric and gas lines, water, and sewer lines, and lift stations. The city currently has at least two residential subdivisions planned. One is behind Winn Dixie and the other is adjacent to Peggy O’Neill Basham Nature Park. The developers are planning 100 homes next to the park. The city is also working on the big commercial development at the site of the former Williston Middle High School along U.S. 27A.
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Charts: The three charts accompanying this story show Williston assesses some of the lowest electric rates in the state among municipal electric power providers. City staff says the rates won’t sustain the city after 2026. Does that mean electric rates will rise? It’s too early to tell, but it appears to be a good possibility.
Enterprise Reporting by Terry Witt February 12. 2022; Posted February 12, 2022
