The residents of Kinston won’t have to worry about an increase in electric rates for at least another year.
In the 2013-14 Kinston budget — which was unanimously passed last week — there wasn’t a proposal for raised electrical rates for the fourth consecutive year.
There was a 1 percent decrease in electric usage last year, but Kinston Public Services Director Rhonda Barwick attributed the decline to milder weather during the two major seasons.
“Summers and winters are always the most extreme seasons, but last year they weren’t as bad as in previous years,” Barwick said. “We looked back at the consumption rates and made our comparisons.”
Although there won’t be a hike in electrical taxes, the Kinston City Council had to make changes to assure its residents wouldn’t have to deal with an increase in rates.
“It’s not like there hasn’t been a need to increase rates, but we were very conscious on how our rates affect the citizens,” City Manager Tony Sears said. “For the new fiscal year, the city took some pretty drastic steps to help stave off an electric rate increase for at least another year.”
The city of Kinston reduced the amount of electric department employees budgeted from last year’s 22 to 20, the lowest number it has been, according to city officials. Distribution supplies were also cut from $365,000 to $274,000.
“When you’re dealing with something dangerous like electricity, you have to have several people working together and losing a couple of people puts pressure on our existing crews,” Sears said. “It affects the rest of the team, but the financial numbers have to balance.”
There may be only 20 employees budgeted, but Kinston Public Services made adjustments to its portion of the city budget.
“Normally, we have 22 electric employees in our funding,” Barwick said. “We looked at the turnover rate and those two unbudgeted jobs will go to natural attrition. People can leave, retire or move on and we’ll keep two positions vacant. We haven’t lost any employees in the process.”
Barwick also had positive words to say about the workers who have had to take on more responsibility.
“We do feel a pinch, but we have very strong employees,” Barwick said. “They know how to do multiple electric positions and they do feel the strain, but they’re a very capable group.”
Electric Systems Superintendent Randy Croom has had a first-hand look at the morale of the employees, as he works actively with them.
“It was pretty tough when they initially heard about it, but it helped when the city approved the 1.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment,” Croom said. “The workload is what it is, but the workers are able to add to their retirement because of the additional revenue and it’s been a big help in keeping them from being disgruntled.”
Croom — who took over as superintendent in December 2007 — has high praise for the employees as well.
“We have a very well-rounded crew who help each other, from the clientele with over 20 years of experience to our new hires,” Croom said. “The young guys are very hungry and ask questions, which improves the quantity and quality of our work.”
Sears wants to decrease employee stress, but not at the expense of the customers.
“I don’t want to increase taxes for citizens or decrease expenditures and provide more stress on the crews,” Sears said. “Neither one is a good option, but the hope is that everything works out in the end.”
Junious Smith III can be reached at 252-559-1077 and Junious.Smith@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JuniousSmithIII.
Tips to save on your electric bill
Check your air filters monthly and change them regularly for a more efficiently run system
During the summer, set your thermostat no lower than 78 degrees. Every degree lower will result in a three percent increase in energy cost
Check for air leaks in duct systems, fireplace dampers, attic hatches, baseboards and around windows and doors
Insulate your home. If your home has little or no insulation, look into adding some
Replace conventional light bulbs with fluorescent bulbs, which use a fraction of the energy and last much longer
Purchase energy-efficient products when replacing appliances along with heating and cooling systems
Apply for a free energy audit to find out how well your home maintains or loses energy
Go to EnergyDepot.com to educate yourself on energy costs, compare equipment and read about a range of home energy topics
Sources: Rhonda Barwick and KinstonPublicServices.com