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Opinions

Friday, 27 April 2012 11:17

We are in favor of letting the voters decide whether the Kissimmee Utility Authority board of directors and the city of Kissimmee or the city alone should be involved in filling seats on the KUA board. If approved on the second reading and because it would be a charter change, the ordinance would go to voters for approval or rejection via a referendum on the Aug. 14 primary ballot.
The ordinance on first reading at a recent commission meeting skirted by on a 3-2 vote, which means the issue isn’t clear-cut.
The proposed ordinance apparently stems from a situation last year when some commissioners did not agree with the person recommended for the KUA board. There were also accusations at the time that the City Commission rubber-stamps candidates recommended by the board.
Commissioner Cheryl Grieb, who voted against the ordinance, said that the commission is not always updated on KUA’s internal needs and how a prospective board member’s particular expertise might be helpful. That is a valid argument, up to a point. The commission still could - and probably should – seek input from KUA on what kind of expertise is needed, and then the city could match that need to a candidate’s credentials.
In the current selection process, KUA advertises the vacancy, takes in all the applications, coordinates the interview process and then makes a recommendation to the city commission. As proposed in the ordinance, the city would take over all these duties.
Mayor Jim Swan, who sits on the board, was the other opposing vote. He noted that when politicians presided over local power generation in the 1970s and 1980s, there were lots of problems. He also said that KUA customers pay one of the lowest power rates in the state now due to improvements in the KUA system and good board decisions over the last few years.
To that, we say that the commission – if it were to take over the appointment process – certainly could select candidates who would tow the line, so to speak, and we would hope that would not occur. However, we would be naïve to say that candidates now are always appointed based on their knowledge of how a public utility operates or on their knowledge of electrical engineering.
Requiring a super-majority commission vote for an appointment is a good idea as well. It would make sure that candidates have strong – not lukewarm – backing from the commission.