SOURCE: Ken Taylor (taylork021@hawaii.rr.com)
SUBHEAD: A Special Public Meeting with the KIUC Board of Directors has been scheduled for Monday evening, December 9th at 5pm.
By Jonathan Jay on 2 December 2013 for P2PKauai -
(http://p2pkauai.org/special-public-meeting-kiuc-dec-9th-5pm/)
Image above: Palatial headquarters of KIUC in Lihue. From (http://www.shioihawaii.com/commercial-industrial-portfolio).
WHAT:
KIUC Special Public Meeting on Fairness in Billing
WHEN:
Monday, December 9th, 2013 at 5:00pm
WHERE:
KIUC Headquarters
4463 Pahee Street, Suite 1
Lihue, Hawaii
See also:
Ea O Ka Aina: KIUC Non-standard meter charge 12/2/13
.
SUBHEAD: A Special Public Meeting with the KIUC Board of Directors has been scheduled for Monday evening, December 9th at 5pm.
By Jonathan Jay on 2 December 2013 for P2PKauai -
(http://p2pkauai.org/special-public-meeting-kiuc-dec-9th-5pm/)
Image above: Palatial headquarters of KIUC in Lihue. From (http://www.shioihawaii.com/commercial-industrial-portfolio).
WHAT:
KIUC Special Public Meeting on Fairness in Billing
WHEN:
Monday, December 9th, 2013 at 5:00pm
WHERE:
KIUC Headquarters
4463 Pahee Street, Suite 1
Lihue, Hawaii
A Special Public Meeting with the KIUC Board of Directors has been scheduled for Monday evening, December 9th at 5pm. Mark your calendars for this important date! We need to flood this meeting with supporters for fairness in coop billing willing to testify!
Today, the specific issue is fairness in billing for all members of our cooperative, but the subtext is a battle for the heart and soul of the democratic member-driven cooperative YOU want to see on Kauai! Think it is only a dream that we could one day have a healthy functioning cooperative that involves members in strategic decisions and respects the rights of all individual members? You can help make this dream come true! Plug into P2P today!
The stated purpose of this meeting is for members to respond and comment on the wording for the ballot language so KIUC can hear from the public what YOU think. KIUC needs to hear from members of the community that we want to see the individual prices of these new fees shown explicitly on the ballot!
These NEW fees include a one-time set-up fee — ranging from $50.64 for residential accounts to $138.80 for business accounts — as well as a re-occurring monthly fee of $10.27 from all accounts to read the older meters! VOTE “NO” ON NEW FEES !! Mahalo for your participation!!
Click below for a map and directions on how to get to:
KIUC HQ 4463 Pahee Street Suite 1, Lihue, Hawaii:
THE STATE'S ATTORNEY GENERAL
We shall be seeking clarification from the State's Attorney General about the legal accuracy of public statements made by KIUC CEO David Bissell, regarding the impact of the challenge of the board action, and the point of the election itself.
Does the PUC ruling allow or require KIUC Management to charge these new monthly fees? Bissell claims that KIUC is bound by law by the PUC to charge the re-occurring monthly fee of $10.27 to traditional meter holders, and is unable to suspend them even though the cooperative is presently re-evaluating whether or not this shall be co-op policy.
If this is true, does Bissell then assert this would also still hold true after the successful outcome of the election where membership votes down the new surcharges? If that is the case, then what is the election even for!?? Is KIUC management determined to move forward with the policy of charging new fees for old meters regardless of what the membership says? The question then looms, who ultimately runs this co-op, the Membership or David Bissell?
We should seek a statement from Bissell asking if the election doesn't go his way, does he intend to respect the wishes of the membership and stand down on the new surcharges, or will he continue to go it alone and continue charging the Membership? Where does the buck stop?
Today the three 'Committee Members' of the petition met with a Committee from KIUC to discuss ballot language for the upcoming member-wide vote on the new fees for old meters, and a time-table for the special election which will be sometime in January, exact dates TBD.
Going in, we wanted ballot language that was simple, easy to understand, narrowly focused on the action the board took to approve new fees, and to say what those new fees were. After about an hour of back and forth, we got three out of four. Here is what we presently have:
"KIUC needs to hear from members of the community that we want to see the individual prices of these new fees shown explicitly on the ballot. I hope many members of the community will come to the special public meeting and tell KIUC just that"
Today, the specific issue is fairness in billing for all members of our cooperative, but the subtext is a battle for the heart and soul of the democratic member-driven cooperative YOU want to see on Kauai! Think it is only a dream that we could one day have a healthy functioning cooperative that involves members in strategic decisions and respects the rights of all individual members? You can help make this dream come true! Plug into P2P today!
The stated purpose of this meeting is for members to respond and comment on the wording for the ballot language so KIUC can hear from the public what YOU think. KIUC needs to hear from members of the community that we want to see the individual prices of these new fees shown explicitly on the ballot!
These NEW fees include a one-time set-up fee — ranging from $50.64 for residential accounts to $138.80 for business accounts — as well as a re-occurring monthly fee of $10.27 from all accounts to read the older meters! VOTE “NO” ON NEW FEES !! Mahalo for your participation!!
Click below for a map and directions on how to get to:
KIUC HQ 4463 Pahee Street Suite 1, Lihue, Hawaii:
THE STATE'S ATTORNEY GENERAL
We shall be seeking clarification from the State's Attorney General about the legal accuracy of public statements made by KIUC CEO David Bissell, regarding the impact of the challenge of the board action, and the point of the election itself.
Does the PUC ruling allow or require KIUC Management to charge these new monthly fees? Bissell claims that KIUC is bound by law by the PUC to charge the re-occurring monthly fee of $10.27 to traditional meter holders, and is unable to suspend them even though the cooperative is presently re-evaluating whether or not this shall be co-op policy.
If this is true, does Bissell then assert this would also still hold true after the successful outcome of the election where membership votes down the new surcharges? If that is the case, then what is the election even for!?? Is KIUC management determined to move forward with the policy of charging new fees for old meters regardless of what the membership says? The question then looms, who ultimately runs this co-op, the Membership or David Bissell?
We should seek a statement from Bissell asking if the election doesn't go his way, does he intend to respect the wishes of the membership and stand down on the new surcharges, or will he continue to go it alone and continue charging the Membership? Where does the buck stop?
Today the three 'Committee Members' of the petition met with a Committee from KIUC to discuss ballot language for the upcoming member-wide vote on the new fees for old meters, and a time-table for the special election which will be sometime in January, exact dates TBD.
Going in, we wanted ballot language that was simple, easy to understand, narrowly focused on the action the board took to approve new fees, and to say what those new fees were. After about an hour of back and forth, we got three out of four. Here is what we presently have:
"This ballot allows members of Kaua`i Island Utility Cooperative to approve or reject an action by KIUC Board of Directors."As you can see, there is no mention of just how much the new fees are. This is a problem. KIUC management needs to hear from the public on this error of omission. How can members be expected to vote on new fees if they don't know what they are?"
On October 1st, the board of directors voted to charge service fees to those customers who chose not to use KIUC's "smart meter"
As a member of KIUC, do you approve of the board action?
Yes or No"
"KIUC needs to hear from members of the community that we want to see the individual prices of these new fees shown explicitly on the ballot. I hope many members of the community will come to the special public meeting and tell KIUC just that"
See also:
Ea O Ka Aina: KIUC Non-standard meter charge 12/2/13
.
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