Jackson Board of Aldermen approves lowering electric rates for customers

The Jackson Board of Aldermen voted unanimously Monday to adjust the rates the city charges its electric customers an average of 11.5% ... downward.

The rate reduction, which will go into effect next month, was based on the recommendation of a utility consulting firm, which said the rate reduction is possible because the wholesale price of the electricity Jackson purchases is going down.

Jackson’s municipal electric company buys its power from Missouri Public Energy Pool (MOPEP), which has multiple power supply contracts allowing it to provide low-cost power to its members. That cost is expected to drop by about 10% starting in July.

According to a rate study conducted by 1898 & Co., a subsidiary of Burns & McDonnell Engineering of Kansas City, Missouri, the rate reduction takes into consideration a cash reserve surplus Jackson has accumulated for the purpose of maintaining and upgrading the city’s electrical distribution system.

“Jackson has identified a need to undertake several large transmission and distribution system capital projects over the next four years,” according to the 1898 & Co. rate study. “These capital project costs are included in the financial forecast and considered in the study.”

The rate review study went on to say Jackson could afford to pass its wholesale cost savings on to its residential and commercial customers while still maintaining an adequate reserve fund for system maintenance.

According to the rate schedule approved by the aldermen, residential customers will see an average rate reduction of 10%, small commercial customers will have a rate cut of 12.5%, while large commercial and industrial customers will see a 15% rate reduction.

Jackson’s municipal electric utility serves nearly 7,400 metered customers in an 11-square-mile service area. The city maintains 40 miles of transmission lines, 161 miles of overhead distribution lines and 69 miles of underground lines. It has more than 3,500 utility poles, nearly 2,000 streetlights and four substations.

In other actions during their business meeting Monday night, the aldermen:

• Held a public hearing and approved a special-use permit allowing commercial parking in an R-4 general residential district permitting expansion of an existing parking lot at 219 N. Missouri St., adjacent to the new Cape Girardeau County Courthouse.
• Approved a motion to record in the board’s minutes the disposal of city records in compliance with guidelines established by the Missouri Secretary of State’s records retention schedule.
• Accepted a proposal from Westrum Leak Detection of Stratford, Iowa, in the amount of $4,000 per year over a five-year period as part of the city’s water system computerized leak detection survey program and approved a contract to that effect.
• Approved ordinances amending the city’s parking regulations establishing a no parking zone on South Missouri Street in the vicinity of the Jackson Police Department and adjusting the parking restrictions on the west side of Barton Street north of East Main Street.
• Approved an ordinance adding crosswalk designations on Parkview Street.

The Board of Aldermen also approved a motion to accept the certified results of the June 2 municipal election and accepted the reappointments of aldermen and others to various committees and boards, including:

• Alderman Dave Reiminger as mayor pro tem and chairman of the board’s Power, Light & Water Committee, along with the reappointment of Alderman Paul Sander to that committee.
• Alderman Larry Cunningham as chairman of the board’s Street, Sewer & Cemetery Committee-Police & Fire, along with the reappointment of Alderman Joe Bob Baker to that committee.
• Mike Seabaugh and Beth Emmendorfer to Jackson’s Planning & Zoning Commission, with terms ending in 2024.
• Chris Nugent, Mary Brooke Tarpley and Tom Bolen to the city’s Park Board, with terms ending in 2023.
• Estelee Wood and Jeff Long to Jackson’s Historic Preservation Commission, with terms expiring in 2023.
• Marco Otten, Crystal Weaver and Heather Harrison to the Community Outreach Board, with terms ending in 2023.
• Howard Hemmann to the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment, with a term ending in 2025.

The board also voted to approve the appointment of Alderman Paul Sander to serve on the Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization Board of Directors.

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