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An agreement reached between Louisville Gas & Electric (LG&E) and Louisville Metro Government that significantly reduced a proposed utility rate increase was accepted with minor modifications Thursday by the Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC).
Louisville Metro Government, along with a number of other intervenors in the case before the PSC, reached a settlement on April 19 that was more than $40 million below LG&E’s initial request for new revenue and included a drastic cut to LG&E’s proposed fixed monthly charges of $46 for residential customers who have both electric and gas service. The PSC upheld those provisions, and further reduced LG&E’s new revenues by approximately $4 million.
Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell, in his authority as legal representative for Louisville Metro Government, has personally represented the city in the case, including settlement negotiations held in Frankfort in April.
“I take great pride that my office and I worked for more than six months to limit the impact this rate case would have on utility bills for Louisville Metro Government and for all residents in Jefferson County,” said County Attorney Mike O’Connell. “Without our efforts, customers would have experienced an additional $45 million in annual rate increases and seen a dramatic increase in LG&E’s fixed rate charges. In addition, we were able to help secure additional support for low-income customers.
“The Public Service Commission upheld nearly every provision of the agreement that Louisville Metro Government and the other interveners reached with LG&E. The PSC commissioners have stated this revised settlement represents rates that are fair, just and reasonable for customers. I hope that LG&E will honor the PSC’s decision.”
LG&E asked the PSC in November to grant an increase to its electric and gas rates that would boost the company’s annual revenues by $107.5 million. Louisville Metro Government intervened in the case on December 2 and presented facts and expert testimony that called for a substantial cut to LG&E’s request. The new rates are set to go into effect July 1.
Louisville Metro’s intervention paid especially high dividends in the debate over the fixed electric service charge. LG&E proposed to more than double the current service charge of $10.75 to $22 per meter. This increase raised concerns about impacts on low-income families, seniors and others living on fixed income, and from those in Louisville who had invested in energy conservation efforts, including solar technology. The high level of proposed increases in fixed charges was a significant factor in Louisville Metro’s decision to intervene.
The fixed monthly charge for electric service will now be $12.25, nearly $10 a month less than LG&E’s request.
Louisville Metro spends more than $17 million annually on utility bills. Following the settlement in April, Louisville Metro estimated $650,000 in cost avoidance for its utility bills compared to LG&E’s original rate increase request.
This case marked Louisville’s first significant intervention in a LG&E rate case heard before the PSC in more than 30 years. Of the Louisville Metro Council members present and voting on Dec. 15, they unanimously approved (20-0) a resolution in support of intervention. Councilmen Bill Hollander and Kevin Kramer both have offered written testimony in the case.
Other notable pieces of the settlement that the PSC upheld include an increase of $200,000 (up from $500,000) for low-income customer support through a contribution to the Association for Community Ministries; an electric bus infrastructure and rates study; and a LED lighting collaborative focused on reducing the costs that cities spend on street lights.
Full details on the revised agreement can be found on the PSC’s website at the following link:
Kentucky Emergency Management (KYEM) remains activated at Level 4 in support of Tropical Storm Cindy as it moves through Kentucky. Level 4 operations consist of KYEM staff monitoring and gathering information on the storm as it moves across Kentucky.
Officials are urging our citizens to be prepared and aware of their surroundings as the rain increases throughout the day and overnight. Following are some safety tips for flooding:
Flooding Water:
Never enter flood waters by foot or vehicle. A vehicle caught in swiftly moving water can be swept away in a matter of seconds. Twelve inches of water can float a car or small SUV and 18 inches of water can carry away large vehicles.
Do not go into a basement or any room, if water covers the electrical outlets or if cords are submerged. If you see sparks or hear buzzing, crackling, snapping or popping noises — get out!
Power Outages:
If electrical power lines are down, don’t touch them. Keep your family and pets away. Report downed lines to your utility company.
Do not use a generator inside your home. Make sure it is outside and ventilated as required by manufacturer instructions. Make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector in your home.
Tetanus:
Avoid contact with flood waters. Flood waters are unclean and can be a risk for tetanus for those who have open wounds that come into direct contact with them. Contact your regular health care provider or your local health department if you believe you may need a tetanus shot.
Mold Cleanup:
Mold may be present in homes that were flooded. An air conditioner or dehumidifier may be used to lower the level of humidity to prevent mold growth. Use exhaust fans when showering and cooking.
When cleaning up small areas affected by mold, make sure the area has enough air by opening doors or windows. Use protective glasses or goggles, rubber boots and waterproof gloves. Wash clothing afterwards. If there is heavy mold growth, use a respirator or suitable mask to prevent breathing the mold.
Remove all wet items that have been wet for more than 48 hours and are not able to be cleaned and dried.
If mold is growing in your home, you will need to clean up the mold and fix the moisture problem. Mold growth can be removed from hard surfaces with commercial products, soap and water, or a bleach solution of no more than 1 cup of bleach in 1 gallon of water. Severe mold cases may require an expert to clean up.
Food Safety:
If you have power outages, keep freezers closed to help keep frozen food from going bad. A full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours and for 24 hours if the freezer is half full.
Refrigerated foods should be safe as long as power is out for no more than four hours. Throw away any perishable food in your refrigerator, such as meat, poultry, lunchmeats, fish, dairy products, eggs and any prepared or cooked foods that have been above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are safe as long as they are still firm and have no mold or slimy feel.
To remove spills and refresh the freezer and refrigerator, DPH recommends washing with a solution of 2 tablespoons of baking soda dissolved in 1 quart of warm water. To get rid of any odors, place an open box or dish of baking soda in the freezer or refrigerator.
For more flooding preparedness information, go to http://Healthalerts.ky.gov or http://www.floodsafety.noaa.gov. Also, visit www.kyem.ky.gov where you can follow KYEM on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
When posting on social media regarding the rain event, please use #KYWX.
Gov. Matt Bevin and Kentucky Labor Sec. Derrick Ramsey today filed a motion to dismiss the purely political, frivolous lawsuit brought by the AFL-CIO and Teamsters challenging Kentucky’s Right-to-Work Act. This lawsuit threatens to hurt Kentucky’s families, robbing them of high-paying job opportunities. The historic new law protects employees in the Commonwealth from being forced to pay union dues in order to keep their jobs.
“Companies like Braidy Industries made it clear from the beginning that right-to-work laws are a major factor in deciding to locate to Kentucky,” said Amanda Stamper, Communications Director. “What purpose does this lawsuit serve, except to hurt working families that are depending on these jobs? This ridiculous legal action by the AFL-CIO and Teamsters will not quell the momentum building across the state. Kentucky is winning, and this will not slow us down.”
In the motion, Gov. Bevin and Sec. Ramsey fight to protect employees from being forced to pay their hard-earned money to unions. Exactly 70 years ago today, with the enactment of the Taft-Hartley Act, Congress authorized states to enact Right-to-Work laws and Kentucky’s decision to do so is a constitutional exercise of the state’s authority.
The legislature’s adoption of Right-to-Work and other pro-growth policies has already borne fruit in the form of $6.7 billion in new investments and the promise of thousands of new jobs in the Commonwealth in just the first six months of the year, including a $1.3 billion investment in the Ashland area that will create hundreds of high-paying jobs.
The majority of Kentucky’s border states—Indiana, Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia—have also enacted right-to-work legislation.
Studies examining Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data show that right-to-work states report faster per capita income growth, greater capital expenditures, lower unemployment, fewer work stoppages and faster growth in manufacturing and non-agricultural jobs than non-right-to-work states.
Contrary to critics who claim that right-to-work protections eliminate opportunities to affiliate with a union, 2015 BLS data also shows that union membership in right-to-work states actually grew more quickly than in non-right-to-work states.
Click here for copy of motion to dismiss.
The Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness and several community partners will offer free HIV testing June 25 through June 30 in observance of National HIV Testing Week.
Testing will be done using the Clearview rapid HIV antibody test. Test results will be available within 20 minutes. No appointments are necessary.
“Of the 1.1 million people living with HIV in the U.S., at least one in five don’t know they have it,” said Dr. Sarah Moyer, Medical Director of the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness. “More than 90 percent of new HIV infections in the United States could be prevented by testing and diagnosing people living with HIV and making sure they receive early, ongoing treatment. We encourage people to join us this week and get tested. Knowing your HIV status is an important step to a healthier life.”
A list of testing sites and locations can be found at www.louisvilleky.gov/health.
Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes on Thursday announced a new initiative for Kentucky lawyers to be of assistance to state and local governments.
The Secretary of State’s Volunteer Lawyers Program will allow Kentucky attorneys to lend legal assistance to matters that may arise on Election Days. The attorneys may offer counsel to the Secretary of State, the State Board of Elections, county clerks and local boards of elections.
“Our Commonwealth is flush with legal talent who are eager to give back to Kentucky. The Volunteer Lawyers Program is a perfect way for attorneys to gain experience working with government by helping navigate legal matters that arise on Election Day,” Grimes said.
Problems at polling places on Election Day are often serious and convoluted for persons not familiar with the intricacies of election law. The role of the volunteer attorney will be to serve as a neutral source of information.
Volunteer attorneys who are part of the program must act in a neutral, non-partisan capacity. The Secretary of the State will contact the volunteer attorney as needed to respond to problems across the state. Attorneys prohibited from participating in the program include those who are actively involved in a political campaign or whose name or family member’s name appears as a candidate on the ballot.
As the 2018 elections approach, Secretary Grimes will work with the Kentucky Bar Association to issue a call for attorneys to participate this fall. Attorneys interested in serving in the Volunteer Lawyers Program should email lindsay.thurston@ky.gov.
Louisville Metro tops the list in the 2017 City on a Cloud Awards’ Dream Big category for large cities, presented and announced this month by Amazon Web Services.
The award was given to the Office of Civic Innovation (part of Performance Improvement and Innovation), which focuses on developing innovative ideas to improve access to city services. The city’s 2017 Dream Big Award submission — titled “Transit Equity: Automation, Inclusion, and Safety” — focused on improving traffic flow through real-time traffic data that automatically adjusts when it senses detrimental systematic changes, a project that is currently under development.
“Cloud services are a key component to Smart City technologies and advancing intelligent traffic management and logistics that improve the daily lives of residents in big and small ways. This award recognizes ambitions that can be achieved through Louisville Metro’s team, our partners and initiatives such as the Louisville Fiber Information Technology project, an overbuild partnership with KentuckyWired,” said Grace Simrall, Chief of Civic Innovation.
In 2015, Louisville won Amazon’s City on a Cloud contest for Best Practices. For part of that project, the city used Amazon Web Services to store Waze real-time data and transformed it for use. It was successful for Metro and this new award allows the city to expand on that success with a larger mobility project with the Traffic Engineering department.
Metro has an on-going, small pilot group of internal data consumers for the Waze CCP traffic data.
“By using Amazon Web Services to build out the city’s first data warehouse, we can centralize, share, analyze and take action on transportation data across departments. Much of this will also be sent to our Open Data Portal for the public,” says Michael Schnuerle, the city’s Data Officer. Area data sharing partnerships will include the city, state, and regional transportation agencies to improve and connect all transit.
“We continue to be amazed by the work that our customers are doing around the world to better serve citizens. This year’s City on a Cloud Innovation Challenge produced inspiring applications from cities, police departments, school districts, and our partners that use real-time data analytics, IoT services, and open data projects, all on the AWS Cloud,” said Teresa Carlson, VP of Worldwide Public Sector for AWS. “AWS is proud to recognize this year’s winners and showcase the innovation to improve our roads, provide digital learning to all students, and benefit first responders.”
More details about all the awards is available on the AWS website at:
https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/publicsector/city-on-a-cloud-innovation-challenge-winners-announced/
Photo: Secretary of State website
Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes on Monday joined members of the Tri Ân Foundation to break ground for a new monument honoring Vietnamese and American veterans.
“Tri Ân in Vietnamese translates to ‘deep gratitude’, a feeling we all share when it comes to all people who sacrifice for the betterment and protection of their brothers and sisters,” said Grimes. “Millions of Americans and Vietnamese veterans fought side-by-side to win a heroic battle against communist aggression in Vietnam. We are forever grateful.”
The monument, located at Louisville’s Veterans Memorial Park, is an homage to the display of heroism during the Vietnam War. The design of eight bamboo-formed concrete columns representing the eight anti-communist allies that worked together toward freedom for the Vietnamese people – South Vietnam, the United States, Australia, Thailand, South Korea, New Zealand, Republic of China (Taiwan), and the Philippines. The monument will also have a digital component to connect veterans with fellow comrades and learn the destiny of rescued refugees. Families of the fallen will learn new stories and insights behind their loved one’s sacrifice.
“The Tri Ân Foundation is so appreciative of the generosity of so many who understand how important it is we recognize the gratitude of the Vietnamese people for those who helped secure their freedom,” said Yung Nguyen, founder of the foundation. “This monument will be a testament to their sacrifice and help all gain a deeper insight to an important part of world history.”
Grimes is deeply committed to honoring the service of veterans, and she is passionate about supporting Kentucky’s active-duty military members and their families. As Secretary of State, Grimes has advocated on their behalf in a range of issues from voting to business creation to job opportunities. She also played an integral role in the creation of the Kentucky Veterans Hall of Fame.
More information about the Tri Ân Monument and Foundation is available at tri-ancompetition.com.
