BILL 621                                                                                 RESOLUTION ________

 

A RESOLUTION ENDORSING MISSOURI CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT NUMBER FOUR TO AUTHORIZE JOINT MUNICIPAL UTILITY PROJECTS SUBJECT TO LOCAL RATHER THAN STATE REGULATION.

 

            WHEREAS, developing and maintaining adequate and affordable energy resources within the State of Missouri is essential to the economic vitality of its communities and the quality of life of all its citizens; and

 

            WHEREAS, Missouri’s 88 municipally owned and operated electric utilities serve more than thirteen percent (13%) of the state’s electric load, but most generate only a small percentage of their power and many are supplied by contracts with power suppliers located outside of Missouri; and

 

            WHEREAS, continuation of this circumstance would leave municipal utilities vulnerable to increasingly volatile and costly wholesale energy markets that are no longer federally regulated on a cost basis; and

 

            WHEREAS, most municipal electric utilities do not serve loads of sufficient size to make the development of individual base load power plants economically feasible but they would benefit from sharing ownership of facilities developed jointly with other utilities, and many municipal natural gas utilities could also benefit from sharing ownership of various facilities, equipment and services; and

 

            WHEREAS, the Missouri General Assembly, by almost unanimous votes in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, has placed Constitutional Amendment Four on the November 5, 2002 state ballot in order to facilitate the financing and development of jointly owned municipal utility facilities, in particular by assuring that such projects will be regulated on the same basis as other municipal utility activities, which is by the affected local governments rather than by the Missouri Public Service Commission; and

 

            WHEREAS, Amendment Four and the projects that it fosters will keep utility rates more affordable for thousands of Missouri consumers, keep jobs and dollars in Missouri, support the reliability of electricity service for all Missourians, promote development of new facilities that are more environment-friendly, and contribute to Missouri’s energy independence—all without any cost to taxpayers.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WEST PLAINS AS FOLLOWS:

 

            Section 1.  That the City of West Plains hereby expresses its support and encourages the adoption by the voters of Missouri of Constitutional Amendment Number Four, which will appear on the November 5, 2002 ballot as the following question:  “Shall joint boards or commissions, established by contract between political subdivisions, be authorized to own joint projects, to issue bonds in compliance with then applicable requirements of law, the bonds not being indebtedness of the state or political subdivisions, and such activities not to be regulated by the Public Service Commission?  This measure provides potential savings of state revenue and imposes no new costs.

 

            Section 2:  That this Resolution shall be in full force and effect after its days of passage and approval.

 

PASSED AND APPROVED THIS 21ST DAY OF OCTOBER 2002.

 

                                                                        CITY OF WEST PLAINS, MISSOURI

 

 

 

                                                                        _________________________________

                                                                        MAYOR JOE PAUL (J. P.) EVANS

ATTEST:

 

 

 

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CITY CLERK CONNIE SHELTON