June 2013 Agenda

Please click on links below for June 4, 2013 agenda.  Meeting begins at 6 pm at City Hall and open to the public.

june 2013 packet.pdf

June 2013 addition to agenda.pdf

SR 20 Chipola River Bridge Project

The link below you will find the State Road 20 Chipola River Bridge replacement informational brochure. Construction begins the week of June 10, 2013 and is scheduled to be completed in 15 months or Fall of 2014.

SR 20 Chipola River Bridge.pdf

May 2013 Agenda

Please click link below for the regular May City Commission meeting agenda.

May 2013.pdf

Notice of Audit

NOTICE

FROM:               Kimberly J. Applewhite

                             City Clerk

                             (850) 482-4353

DATE:                April 10, 2013

AUDIT OF VOTING SYSTEM

Pursuant to F.S.101.591 and Rule 1S-ER08-04, F.A.C., a public manual audit of the voting system shall be conducted after an election.   The audit shall include a tally of election day, absentee, and provisional ballots. 

The City Canvassing Board for the Group 3 and Florida Public Utility Referendum (FPU) Election will meet Friday, April 12, 2013 at 10:30 a.m. (CST) at the City Hall Commission Room, 2898 Green Street, to audit the results of the Tuesday, April 9^th, 2013 Group 3 and FPU Utility Referendum electionvi.

All City Canvassing Board meetings are open to the public.  When the audit is completed, the results will be made public.

April 2013 Commission Meeting

Please click on link below to view the April 2, 2013 regular Commission Meeting agenda.

April 2013.pdf

Also, remember to attend the public forums to ask questions about the referendum that will be voted on April 9, 2013 on whether or not the City should purchase the rights to the electric rates from FPU in order to establish electric rates within the City limits of Marianna.

City Public Information Forums

Dear City of Marianna Resident,

On Tuesday, April 9, 2013, all City of Marianna residents will be called upon to vote on a referendum to make a very important decision as to whether the City should establish its own electric utility service by purchasing the electric facilities presently owned by Florida Public Utilities Company (“FPU”) located within the City limits of the City of Marianna.  This referendum is the result of years of hard work and the decision to pursue this path has been carefully considered with the primary goal being to protect the residents of Marianna from having to pay too much for electrical service.

 If a majority of the Citizens adopt the change, the City will be able to take ownership of your electric system resulting in all City residents having input on electric rates and service for our community.  FPU and the Public Service Commission in Tallahassee will no longer set the electric rates for the City.  Revenues generated from the City owning and operating the electric service could be used to enhance our quality of life by improving the City’s infrastructure such as roads, recreation facilities and other City property.  Remember your vote on April 9^th is very important for the future of our City.

We encourage you to contact your Commissioner or the City Manager, Jim Dean, to discuss this very important decision at 850-482-4353.  In addition, to find out more information the City will be holding public forums for residents/voters to attend.  The dates, time & locations are as follows:

March 19^th, 25^th, 26^th, & 28^th – City Hall Commission Room, 4 pm – 6:30 pm.

April 1^st, 2^nd, & 8^th – City Hall Commission Room, 4 pm – 6:30 pm.

March 21^st & April 4^th – McLane Center, 4291 Clay Street, 4 pm – 6:30 pm.

It’s all about your money Marianna, so practice your right to vote by showing up at the polls on April 9^th to let your voice be heard.

Practice your right to vote.

Sincerely,

James B. Wise, Mayor -   Paul A. Donofro, Jr., Commissioner

John E. Roberts, Commissioner - Rico Williams, Commissioner 

Travis Ephriam, Commissioner

Referendum on Florida Public Utility (FPU) Purchase

CITY OF MARIANNA

City's Purchase of Electric Utility Inside the City of Marianna
"It's All About Your Money, Marianna'"

In April, you, the citizens of Marianna will vote on whether the City should set up its own electric utility system by purchasing the electric facilities and equipment of Florida Public Utilities Company ("FPU") located in the City.

This referendum is the result of years of hard work by the City Commission, the City Manager, and the City Attorney. The decision to pursue this path has been carefully thought out with only one purpose and one goal in mind: to protect you, the citizens of Marianna, who are all electric customers of FPU, from paying too much for your power. When the City started down this road in 20 I 0, FPU's rates for residential customers were the highest in Florida - charging more than $155 a month for 1,000 kWh of residential service, as compared to average rates for Florida municipal utilities of less than $128 for the same service. While FPU's rates have come down, so have those of all other Florida utilities, FPU still has the highest rates of any Florida investor-owned utility, and rates that are higher than 30 out of 33 municipal utilities in Florida.

Your Mayor and City Commissioners heard your complaints about your outrageously high electric bills, and we took action. To protect the citizens of Marianna, your City Commission authorized the City Attorney to sue FPU for the right to buy FPU's property, which the City negotiated for in our franchise agreement with FPU. After lengthy legal proceedings, FPU settled the case by agreeing that the City can hold the referendum in accordance with the franchise. If Marianna's citizens vote in favor, the City will purchase FPU's system within the City limits.

Throughout this process, the City's Number 1 goal has been to get you, our citizens, relief from FPU's high rates. Your vote in the referendum will have long-lasting and far-reaching consequences for you, your children, and your grandchildren. Voting "Yes" on the referendum will enable your City government, and you, our bosses, do the following.

Keep Your Money At Home, Working for You and Your Fellow Citizens. FPUC is a private utility, headquartered in Delaware and owned by shareholders across the country. A significant chunk of your electric bill is profits for FPU's shareholders and management, and it leaves Marimma to be spent elsewhere. Additionally, when FPU makes bad financial decisions, and they have made some extraordinarily bad ones, those additional costs further drain our economy, with nothing to show for it. Any surplus revenues generated by a City-owned electric utility will stay here in Marianna to finance needed local services and improvements.

Spend Less On Electricity. A City-owned electric system can and will provide you with electric service at lower rates. There is no good reason for FPU's rates to be as high as they are, and city-owned systems in Florida are successful at rmming their systems reliably at rates significantly less than FPU's: in January 2013, FPU was still charging about $135 for 1,000 kWh of residential service ($143 if you include a typical 6% franchise fee), while the average for Florida municipal utilities is now down to $127.72. There is every reason to believe that your City Commission will get your rates down to the Florida city average, if not below it. This will mean more money in your pockets evety month, money that you can spend in Marianna, on your families, and more money spent locally that will keep Marianna's economy going and growing. And, lower rates can only help the City attract new businesses to help our economy grow.

Keep Your Taxes Low. Instead of profits being raked off and sent to out-of-state shareholders and management, the City would probably operate the system with a modest revenue surplus, which the City would spend in Marianna on needed local services and capital projects, such as public safety, roads, and parks. Any revenue surplus will enable the City to provide needed services with less tax revenues.

Take Control of Your Electric System and Your Future. You don't have a say in how FPU spends their profits and pays their excessive costs. Through your Mayor and City Commission, however, you have a direct say in how your electric and other utilities are run and on how your money is spent, rather than being on the receiving end of whatever FPUC decides to do.

Marianna Will Do a Great Job Providing Ouality Electric Service, Just Like We Do With Our Other Utilities and Services. Marianna already operates successful water, wastewater, and natural gas utilities that provide reliable service, and we'll do the same with electric.

The City Can and Will Provide You With Better Service. While FPU has closed all of its customerservice locations in Mariatma that used to provide in-person service, the City has real people that you can talk to about any utility or other problems you have, right at City Hall. And FPU's service reliability
doesn't stack up very well when compared to other Florida utilities. We can do better, just like other Florida municipal utilities do.

Many Florida Cities Operate Successful Electric Utilities. There are 33 other municipal utilities in Florida, including neighboring Northwest Florida cities including Blountstown, Chattahoochee, Quincy, Havana, and Tallahassee. Thirty of these have rates lower than FPU's. We can do the same here in Marianna.
 

Special Meeting 3/13/2013

Please click on below link to view agenda for March 13, 2013 special meeting set for 6 pm.

March 13 special meeting.pdf

City of Marianna Election Information

The City of Marianna will be holding an election for City Commission Group 3 and the Florida Public Utility (FPU) Purchase referendum on April 9, 2013.  Allen E. Ward II and James B. Wise qualified for City Commission Group 3 and any residents in Group 3 can vote on the City Commissioner race and the FPU referendum issue.  Any other residents in the City (Group 1, 2, 4 & 5) can vote on the FPU referendum issue. Absentee voting is now available and any questions should be directed to Kimberly Applewhite, City Clerk or Carolyn Spears, Deputy Clerk, at (850) 482-4353.

To view a sample ballot please click on your ward:

Wards 1, 2, 4, & 5

Ward 3

March 2013 Agenda Packet

Please click the below link to view the March 2013 Regular Commission Meeting agenda packet.

March2.pdf