"UNDERSTANDING" bob seger

It seems like only yesterday
I didn't have a clue

It has been reported by the Painesville Board of Education that a male 20-30 years old with blonde hair driving a red car has followed and approached a Heritage Middle School girl.  This morning he approached her.  Rest assured Painesville Police is well aware of the situation and will be monitoring this.

In other news;

Another director left over from the McMahon regime will no longer be employed by the City of Painesville. By George,  Monica seems to have started early cleaning house.

Now back to understanding stuff.

Remember when I mentioned I had received a terse reply from a councilman over question I
 asked about police vehicles? Also at the last council meeting the Ordinances that questioned the part-time police and switchboard employees drew  a strange silence ( can be viewed on the council meeting tape) No one wanted or knew how to discuss it? It all seemed so awkward at the time? It truly  was never explained only that we will save money.

Well a reader sent me what this all meant. I have no idea why it wasn't explained to council as well as us.

SECTION 167.06
COMPENSATION
DISTRIBUTIONOF FUNDS-
SPECIAL POLICE
OFFICER/SWITCHBOARD
OPERATOR 20% of pay from general fund, 15% from water fund, 15% from sewer fund and
50% from electric fund?
The CM only receives 35% of her salary from the electric division. How in the world does a police officer earn 50% from electric?

Seems another item to go into the PCA?

I guess it would be interesting to hear the administration's explanation for all this? And why they didn't explain it when the Ordinance was past?    

" I DID IT MY WAY" frank sinatra

I have been told this will be the song to be played when the 45th President and First Lady dance to at the Inaugural Ball.

As someone who likes to use songs as they relate to something I do understand what our new President wishes to convey.  BUT

And now the end is near,
And I face my final curtain

More of a Funeral song then one embarking on being the leader of the free world.

Speaking of the free word, the phrase "America First" was last used in the 1930's
Leading to a dictator coming to power along with the Third Reich causing the massive death and destruction of WWII. History has a very strange way of repeating itself.

Now for todays post

That Damn Obama!

After eight years of destroying America's coal industry and putting mines and mine workers out of jobs in West Virginia, Kentucky and pretty much all of Appalachia. There's a new Sheriff in town that's going to bring those mines and make those mine workers whole again! But we don't use that much coal in America anymore? Yes but there is the export market. We mine it put it on a train take it to the harbor put it on a big ship sail halfway across the world to our friends in China and they will use it to power their power plants!
One problem...

China Scuttles Plans for 100 Coal Plants

China's energy regulator has ordered 11ovinces to stop more than 100 coal-fired power projects, with a combined installed capacity of more than 100 gigawatts. it's latest dramatic step to curb the use of fossil fuels in the world's to energy market.
Josephine Mason for Reuters

China weaning itself off fossil fuels and looking to the future with renewables such as solar and wind?

Who would have thought the reach of President Obama's decree? China? Or maybe this is 'fake' news? We will soon find out if those mines start up again or not.

Best guess many in the coal mining region of this country will be wearing those by then frayed and faded red "Make America Great" ballcaps and blaming whoever for their fate.

"ONE TOKE OVER THE LINE" brewer & shipley

Sittin' downtown in a railway station
One toke over the line

Yeah, we talked about 'Weed'  at last nights council meeting and after sitting through that experience we all could have partaken in a toke!

First the good stuff!

That as yet unnamed development between Sanford St. and Windjammers got the zoning approval they were looking for. Even after numerous residents living at Windjammers express their problems with erosion and water runoff.
Now do the math 16 homes in 5.5 acres with homes priced in the $250,000 range situated in a wetland area? Why not. Ms. Jenkins in her wisdom suggested if we don't approve this 16 unit development we might be faced with a 70 unit development? That logic failed me. Seems after viewing the plans as well as the prices someone is already into the marijuana
Council voted 5 for with councilman DeLeone voting No and council lady DiNallo abstaining. By the looks of some Ward I voter's in the audience council lady Shoop might have been wise to also abstain. Law Director Gurley told council the only question at hand was zoning.

It failed me that we hired two part-time police officer's for city hall duty on the first reading but it took three readings for the Resolutions of citizen, business and Heritage award? There was No discussion by council on this matter at least in front of the public?

Animal tethering, First off how many on council or in the administration even have a pet? Question's about when the clock starts, videotape, what if the owner has a $2,000 dog house?  What if the dog is used for security? Left on first reading after 20 minutes of nonsense discussion.'

Approved to advertise for bids for the reconstruction of Walnut St.

Approved new waterlines for Pearl St. as well as Auburn Rd.

Approved bids on salt!

Moratorium on Medical Marijuana Cultivation Processing and Retail Dispensaries. Here's another road I'm not sure we want to go down but at least one resident thought maybe Painesville should be on the cutting edge?  Let's see what the state recommends? Let's remember federal law. I see no difference between having marijuana sold in a city in violation of federal law then a city deciding to become a sanctuary city. Both in violation of the law? Mr. Gurley explained the reasoning for the moratorium.

City Manager discussed a Utility Commission and wanting 'experts on that commission. Experts are what got us in this mess.

A presentation by WPCP on where all the sewer pumping stations were located and operating in the City of Painesville. Something I guess we needed to know.

So after two hours we closed the meeting. Salt, Dogs, Houses and Weed!

"COUNCIL MEETING 01/17/17 "

Not much of nothing.

An ordinance to build 16 homes in a flood area between Windjammer's Court and Sanford St. bring your waders!

Resolution for Citizen, Business, Heritage awards. third and final reading hopefully.

Ordinance Amending  Section 167 of the city code. Someone's going to get a raise! Or we will hire some part-timer's.

Ordinance with concerns to 'tethering of an animal in the City of Painesville

Bids for waterlines on Pearl St. and Auburn Rd. (seems were are having leaks all over town!)

Resolution Imposing a Temporary Moratorium on Medical Marijuana Cultivation Processing and Retail Dispensaries. ( that's been going on for decades around here!)  Also a business is opening up in the Township across from Painesville Commons.

We are again in the process of purchasing salt from the state for us to pound!


Drove by our new mult-million dollar service garage. Looks like it suffered some damage due to the windstorm on the 12th.?

"THE WEIGHT" the band

Take a load for free
And you put the load right on me


Well attended the council work session Monday at 5:00 pm.
Meeting showed a lot of graphs and load amounts. Usual stuff.

Dawn Lund Vice President of Utility Financial Solutions LLC the company hired by Painesville to evaluate our electric department. Everything from fixed costs, labor, depreciation, PCA everything she will evaluate in the coming months.

One thing I kept hearing about was maybe our charges are to low? Never heard to high.

The model we use to set our electric rates with was a 1992 model, and presently no one at City Hall can find it to see what was exactly the numbers were used to set our electric prices. So Ms. Lund will be flying blind as she runs all the numbers. To her credit she claimed that the PCA should never be within a few dollars of your standard bill. She explained Painesville has three basic prices. Residential, Commercial, and Industrial.

A resident asked if there was a site where he could  see those rates? Presently the City doesn't have a site where a resident can see those numbers. They should

Being a Municipal owed utility those number's should be available to residents.

Ms. Lund will look into all costs associated with our electric utility. Fixed costs, depreciation, equipment  and labor.
I questioned labor how are you going to do that if workers are preforming duties in other departments? Ms. Irelan told me that labor at the plant was a fixed cost? I question the legality of all this if we can't take profits of our electric division to fix roads how do we let the electric department pay for employee's not doing plant work?

Now let me explain right now I believe right now our Power Plant is the most valuable thing in the city. I see our Power Grid hacked by someone in the near future and it would be to our benefit if we are able to produce power on our own.

Looking on the internet I found a site in Westerville, Ohio who published all he revenue percentages of all Municipal power plants in Ohio, yes including Painesville.

Myself I believe Painesville is making a healthy profit on our utilities lets  see what Dawn comes up with?

" DOCTOR MY EYES" jackson browne

Doctor my eyes have seen the years
And the slow parade of fears without crying
Now I want to understand

So how to spend a Friday morning on a cold Painesville morning?

Sit down with a few residents , Electric Power Superintendent Jeffery McHugh, Paul Morton Electric Plant Supervisor and a plant supervisor to explain how we arrive at our infamous Power Cost Adjustment.  (PCA)

Well to say I learned a lot would be understatement.

First off our electric bills and costs haven't changed since 1992. Before deregulation, when the plant ran at 88% efficiency and 44 employees ran the power plant. Along with prices for coal and wages were what  they were in 1992. Today the plant runs with 24 employees operates at only peak shavings time and we purchase 100% of our power from outside sources. Last month we were billed by AMPO for power purchased at when its all put together $67.54 KWh. $1,264,900.00 total. of this total $420,770.00 went to PSEC, $223,274 Went for Hydropower on the Ohio River Projects. Other included $585,000. We pay from 14 cents to 1 cent for power.

Someone asked about 'line loss',well it should include unmetered power. You loss power when you push it thru the lines but 6%? Will it should be called unmetered power. Power for street light, traffic lights Christmas lights.  are all included in this. So in a way the power for that unmetered power is included in your PCA.

Of note when the city sends Power Plant employee's to other departments the electric department still assumes all their wages and benefits? I don't even know if this practice is even legal?

With all this said. MONDAY EVENING  IN COURTROOM #2 COUNCIL WILL HOLD A WORK SESSION January 9,2017 AT 5:00PM   there will be a council work session to determine if our rate structure is up to date. This meeting is open to the public whether you will be allowed to speak I do not know.

AS I left the power plant I couldn't stop thinking of all that machinery sitting idle. I was told to operate it  would cost us $96.00 MWh. (estimate) Why make it if you can buy it cheaper?  I'd love to see how they arrived at those numbers?

Fist of all no billing system should be used that is 25 years old. Monday night may start the change.

Mr. McHugh assured me he will have the number's soon if and how much the electric department made last year in the near future.

None of this is a refection on the people who run and work at the Painesville Power Plant They are given what they have and make do with it.

"SECOND HAND NEWS" fleetwood mac

When times go bad
When times go rough

Rumors are circulating around town about a demonstration on Veterans Park and in front of the New Market Mall where Congressman's David Joyces office is located.

Many feel our Congress is overreaching.

This is in the planning stages and it seems to be in response to Congress wanting to get rid of their ethics rules. Plus the repeal of the ACA without a replacement. Medicare also came up in a conversation and I don't remember that being an issue in the campaign. A President -elect who has more faith in a criminal named Julian Assange then is own intelligence resources. Along with a bromance between Trump and Putin.


Now this 'gathering' is scheduling is planned for Saturday January 14, 2017 at 12:00 PM.

Myself it can be very cold on a January Saturday.

 This could wait for spring but if enough people believe now is the time?

I see a very rocky time for ourcountry

There seems to be a growing resistance to this administration the same as the Tea Party in 2009.

I will keep you posted and if anything more comes of this I will let you know.

COUNCIL MEETING 01/03/17

Off to another start of jam packed council meetings?

An Ordinance as to take a loan out for $1,600,000  for things we have purchased in the past and haven't paid for yet. Administration claim they will pay it down $600,000 by the end of this year.

An  Ordinance to change zoning from B-2 to R-1 for that development I mentioned before although it is just South of Windjammer's Court and North of Sanford St. Wonder why we skipped Zoning Commission? Public hearing at next council meeting.

Three Resolution's second reading for person , business, and organization of the year.

A Resolution to let the city manager put out for bids and purchase needed city items. (Everything from road salt to paper clips)

New Business; Utility Commission. That said they weren't even sure if they had past a Resolution for that yet? You must have you received applications from some people? For council people will have a 'work session' to decide what to do next? They seem to want professionals on this committee even going outside the city? Look it up the 'Professionals got us in this screwed up mess.

May I suggest Ray Sternot, Sandy Miller. the resident of the city that happens to work for First Energy and their choosing of a professional of their choice. One council member say Mike DeLeone to make five. This commission will revue every electric deal or major water project in the city. They will be responsible for the transparency on our utility bills.

Unlike when Meigs County or Prairie State was presented by AMP-OHIO they will share their findings with council and the administration without a three minute rule. There will be times when they might even agree on a good venture.




]I was thinking about this. Every bill I receive Gas Co. Telephone, Cable comes with a return envelope. Ever wonder over all the decades the money Painesville has saved on not providing a simple return envelope?

"LET'S GET IT STARTED" black-eyed peas

Well it's a new year council meeting tonight. I feel recharged it's my feeling that some interesting things coming our way this year.

Where is Veronica going to store that commercial kitchen?

What plans are there NOW for the old hospital site.

Will the 'new' County Commissioners continue to demolish the Dorothy Allen Building and replace with a new county building?

Will they teardown the old Sears Allstate garage building and build a new one on E.  Jackson St.?

Will deportations start in Painesville?