By Tina Kitt
    The Wauneta Breeze
    
     Local electric costs are going up, but not because of a rate increase.
     Earlier this year, members of the Wauneta Village Board said they planned to increase electric rates on a per kilowatt basis in Wauneta to cover the burgeoning costs of purchasing power from their wholesale providers.
     After further study, however, they opted to approve an increase in the meter charges assessed by the Wauneta Utilities Department.
     On a 4-1 vote at their March meeting last week, the board voted to increase the per meter charge by $10.58 across the board, effective immediately.
     According to Wauneta Utilities Superintendent Bill Bischoff, this means residential electric customers will now pay $16.48 per meter each month, up from the existing meter charge of $5.90. Commercial customers will now pay monthly or single-phase meter charges of $24.74, up from $14.16. Customers using three-phase meters will pay a monthly fee of $40.08, up from $29.50.
     Board members chose to go with the meter charge increase instead of raising electric rates after being told by employees at Southwest Public Power District that Wauneta's meter charges were far less than other towns in the region were charging. According to Bischoff, SWPPD reported that most towns in the area, including Palisade, Trenton, Stratton and Culbertson, charge around $16 per meter for residential power customers.
     The $10.58 flat rate increase on the 456 meters billed monthly will offset the 12.3 percent WAPA wholesale electric rate increase the village withstood last year. It will also help cover new wheeling charge expenses that take effect later this year. According to Bischoff, the Utilities Department saw a loss of $33,961 in 2004.
     The meter charge increase did not pass without protest, however, with board member Ted Grimm casting the lone dissenting vote. Grimm said he favored raising electric rates 12.4 percent so the hike would affect power users in proportion to the amount of electricity they consume. Instead, pointed out Grimm, those using small amounts of electricity are being hit with as big an increase percentage-wise compared to those using large amounts of electricity.
     Grimm motioned to increase per kilowatt electric rates by 12.4 percent, but that motion died for lack of a second.
     The board had been advised that an electric rate increase of 12.4 percent or a meter rate increase would be needed to recoup utilities department losses, and additional wholesale rate increases are anticipated later this year.
     Al Wilkins, Lynn Brunkhorst, Lloyd Sinner and Ann Grasser instead threw their support behind the meter charge increase.
     Bischoff said his department is always looking for ways to be more efficient, including installing new meters to cut down on line loss. Line loss represents electricity purchased by the village which is not recouped in sales, such as through meters which are running slow and not fully gauging all the electricity going to a home or business.
     Bischoff said that recently Wauneta has gone from a line loss of 11 percent to 9 percent. He said he is shooting for a line loss of 5 percent. He would also like to see more participation in the load control program, which helps the Village keep down the cost of their wholesale electricity.
    
    Further business
     In other business, the board:
     • Okayed proceeding with the sale of Village property located on the back half of the gazebo lot on main street. Board members approved taking sealed bids for the rear 25-foot-by-50-foot portion of Lot 5, Block 5, of the Original Town of Wauneta, reserving the right to accept or reject any or all bids. Steve and Nancy Noble are interested in purchasing the property which adjoins property they own downtown. Steve Noble told the board at an earlier meeting they would like to construct a storage building along the alley located behind the Country Clipper and gazebo lot.
     • Heard from USDA representative Lennis Hodgson of Kearney about a possible grant for the purchase of a new police vehicle for the Wauneta Police Department. According to Hodgson, the Village would qualify for 35 percent grant funding on a $30,000 vehicle. The board okayed moving along with the grant process, with Hodgson's assurance they are not committed to accepting the grant or moving forward with the purchase of a new vehicle.
     • Voted to buy back a set of cemetery lots from Gilbert Richards for $300. Richards had contacted the Village Office saying he no longer planned to use the lots at Riverside Cemetery. The board and their attorney, Arlan Wine, discussed establishing precedent and protocol for purchasing back cemetery lots in the future.
     • Heard a request from Mary Kitt for Community Development Block Grant funding to purchase and repair the Hair Station building on Tecumseh for use as a barber shop and salon. Additional information was needed so the board opted to delay their decision until their April meeting.
     • Accepted a bid of $311 from Einspahr Construction for repair work on the library ceiling.
     • Approved the disbursement of $1,000 in donated money to buy plants and shrubs for the park. The money had been donated expressly for that purpose, but formal board approval was needed for disbursement.
     • The board also discussed the possibility of adding a part-time position at the Village Office to learn operations of both the Village Clerk and Utilities Clerk. This backup person could help make sure all aspects of the office function smoothly in case of an unexpected, prolonged absence of office personnel. No action was taken.
    
    Department reports
     In his police report, Police Chief Mike Young reported progress is being made in solving a local burglary. He also told the board of his plans to use a section of the tree dump as a firing range for department purposes. The Wauneta Police Department is in line to receive $800 in soft body armor at a cost of $350 due to a grant award from the Concerns of Police Survivors grant program, Young announced.
     In his monthly report, Bischoff told the board that he and Grasser had recently attended the Upper Republican NRD's shareholders meeting concerning the NRD's recently drafted IMP plan.
     Bischoff told the board it is unclear how towns located along the river will be impacted, but noted there are concerns.
     Under the URNRD's IMP plan, said Bischoff, in order to drill a new well a town will have to abandon an existing well. Considering the Village's ongoing dilemma in meeting new arsenic level standards this restriction could prove burdensome, said Bischoff.
     Bischoff said there have also been requests made to exclude municipalities from allocation restrictions, noting that in the URNRD, municipalities use only 1 percent of the water. The proposed allocation for Wauneta is 122 million gallons per year, with Wauneta's average annual water use pegged at 80 million gallons. The Village has built up nearly 2 billion gallons in carryover, said Bischoff.