We Want a Public Utility in Rochester
[THIS IS FOR CITY OF ROCHESTER RESIDENTS ONLY!] Rochester Gas & Electric, part of Avantgrid, part of Iberdrola has become a cancer in our community. The corporation continues to extract wealth from Rochester while providing criminally sub-par services, leaving our neighbors in debt, in the dark, and sometimes, in mortal peril. There is a path to excise this cancer that is laid out in New York State law. AND there is already language in the Charter of the City of Rochester that would allow for a publicly owned and run utility with minor changes to the text. By signing the petition below, you are calling for Rochester City Council to release money that has been held for years for a state-mandated study to see if such a utility is feasible and to amend the City Charter to allow for the formation of a public utility to replace RG&E. This is for City of Rochester residents ONLY.
173 signaturesWe the undersigned residents of the City of Rochester, New York call for members of City Council to release the money currently held for a feasibility study for a Public Utility in the City and to amend the City Charter, Article 11 Section 1 to read:
11-1 City Electric Agency.
A Pursuant to the article 14-A of the General Municipal Law and other laws applicable thereto, a city Electric Agency (“Agency”) is hereby established for the purpose of operating a public utility electric service within the City's territorial Limits to furnish to itself, or, for compensation, to its inhabitants any electric service similar to that furnished by any public utility company specified in article 4 of the public service law and also for the purpose of acquiring hydroelectric power from the power authority of the State of New York (“PASNY”) or also for the purpose of transmission and distribution within the territorial limits of Rochester to all electric customers there in.
B The method of acquiring and operating the necessary elements of such electric service shall be as follows.
1 The Agency shall acquire hydroelectric power from PASNY, or other electric power from other sources, for delivery to the users of electricity in the city, and
2 The Agency shall acquire the necessary distribution, substations, transmission, and other electric equipment from the private utility company to deliver power to the electric customers in territorial limits of the city.
3 The agency will perform any studies or comply with other state regulations needed to carry out the above tasks.
C The method of furnishing such electric service shall consist of acquiring PASNY hydroelectric power and/or sufficient other power from other electric suppliers, delivering said power to the local consumers over the transmission and distribution facilities owned by the agency and acquired from the local private utility company by negotiated sale condemnation. Any power acquired for distribution to customers in the city shall be carried over the transmission and distribution facilities of PASNY and such other entities at transmission and distribution voltages as may be required to ensure proper power availability to electric customers within the City. The local private utility company may, by agreement with the Agency, deliver said power and collect and remit to the agency the charges therefor.
D All agreements entered into in furtherance of acquisition and operation of the Agency's service shall first be approved by the City Council. Rates for the sale of any power by the Agency shall be established by the City Council and shall be sufficient to permit the Agency to recover its costs of doing business, but shall not provide any profit or return on investment to the Agency. Any reduction in utility gross receipts tax revenues received by the City as a result of the implementation of this section may be paid by the Agency as an in-lieu-of tax payment to the City. Any reduction in property tax revenues received by the city from the local private utility company as a result of the implementation of this section shall be paid by the Agency as an in-lieu-of tax payment to the City. Except as otherwise required by PASNY pursuant to the applicable law, and to the maximum extent practicable, the PASNY hydroelectric power acquired by the Agency shall be furnished first to fulfill the electric energy requirements of the City and other municipal corporations and to fulfill the electric requirements of City residential consumers and then may be furnished to fulfill the electric energy requirements of the City and other municipal corporations and to fulfill the electric energy requirement of all other classes of electric customers, including commercial and industrial customers.
E The method of acquiring and operating the electric service described in this section may require the exercise of any power including condemnation by the City or the Agency of the local private utility company generation, distribution, and transmission system, and the establishment by the city of the Agency of transmission or distribution facilities separate from the local private utility company.
Nathan Griggs
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