Comments for Up for intro, LUS rate hike gets chamber backing at http://www.theind.com , comment 1 to 12 out of 12 comments http://www.theind.com Mon, 20 May 2013 14:15:47 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.theind.com/home/5288#comment-4548 Morrow, how can your comments count when you have no skin in the game? If you love LUS so much, move to Lafayette! - northsidian Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:11:16 +0100 http://www.theind.com/home/5288#comment-4533 I'd like to see the LPUA/City direct LUS to invest in greater energy efficiency. I'm sure all those folks are trying their best, but there may be opportunities not yet taken advantage of. In the 1980's, this community was faced with the closure of it's municipal landfill. The costs to us all to pay to haul our waste 50 miles away to a landfill run by others, at considerable costs, led our citizens and leaders to find solutions to these problems which resulted in significant savings: yard waste became a resource when we started composting it. This created new jobs here in Lafayette, saved us far more money than disposal, and I've been told, we're even able to sell some of the waste for burning in a power plant to generate electricity. Lafayette also became a leader in the state to divert the "trash that is not trash", i.e. your recyclable materials. That recycling company now serves multiple communities. I don't have all the hard number percentages, but it's easy to find out if you call LCG's Environmental Quality division. It's in the neighborhood of 35-45% of municipal waste. All these efforts now seem to be out of sight and mind in this community. If we take the same approach to this problem with respect to power consumption, power generation, power transmission, and power conservation, we might find ourselves a way out of this hole. Could the city/LUS install LED (Light Emitting Diode) streetlights? Shouldn't the city adopt a LEED certified energy-efficiency building standard for new city buildings and retrofits and a tax incentive for private developers to build to this commonly accepted standard? Shouldn't the city see to it that rate increases are offset by home weatherization of low income/fixed income residents by taking advantage of LIHEAP grant programs to replace windows, and insulation in homes? (these are monies waiting to be used per the federal stimulus act.) The city/LUS could also explore a loan program through the Lafayette Public Trust Authority, not to build new homes, but to install new energy efficient windows in our old homes, at historically, extreme low interest rates, allowing residents to improve the value of their homes, saving electricity, offsetting the unavoidable increases in future fuel costs to LUS, (which irrespective of this rate-base increase failure, are going to go up on the market.) This will add jobs here to do the construction work. If anyone has looked around, the costs for bidding projects RIGHT NOW, are probably as good as they've been in 10 years. This is the time to make our investments. It just seems to me, that we are blessed with resources, and opportunities here in Louisiana and Lafayette, while we aren't suffering the worst of the national economic downturn, and yet we're acting as if our hands are tied. If we invest in energy efficiency, much of these consumption growth demands could be averted. Energy saved "the nega-watt" can be just as fiscally equitable as producing and sending new watts. This community also should be taxing those activities we want to discourage...and subsidizing those we wish to encourage. Keep that in mind with discussion of taxing citizens through In Lieu of Tax and Sales Taxes on Food, yet we don't tax low-density sprawling land use for new developments (we encourage it), we don't (and aren't allowed to) tax gasoline usage, etc. - Jason D. Faulk Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:52:34 +0100 http://www.theind.com/home/5288#comment-4506 I agree that city/parish employees enjoy a pretty darned good income and benefit package. They're not leaving & payroll is only increasing day to day, year to year. Raises are handed out like candy & the council wanted to give more than was called for!!! Figure that! But LUS is STILL the best utility system around, and the best run. I consider it THE BEST department in city government. The magnitude of growth in and around Lafayette in past few years has been enormous & yet all Laf. utilities are provided smoothly. I'd take LUS over Slemco, Entergy, the sewerage & garbage system I pay now! I'd be on LUS cable & internet service in a minute if I could. LUS is a bargain! - Morrow Thu, 03 Dec 2009 08:50:18 +0100 http://www.theind.com/home/5288#comment-4488 LCG should sell electric utility portion of LUS ! Then, take those monies to subsidize fiber, water and sewage departments. - Plumpy Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:52:58 +0100 http://www.theind.com/home/5288#comment-4459 LAF. DEMO. *They know people are losing their jobs and some taking paycuts to continue employment, and providing whatever the necessities for their families with a shrinking paycheck. Government Paychecks never experience paycuts, never experience layoffs, never are terminated unless 4 judges, vote for termination ,then the ACLU, comes in to the fray like gangbusters!!!! OLD FOLKS, RETIREES with ( USE, TA BE FIXED INCOMES ) a SS check will not see any cost of living increase this new year, possibly for the next two years, """HELL, SOMEONE HAS TO PAY FOR THE BULLETS $ BOMBS""" YOU THINK POBET JOEY OR TERRY WILL SEE A PAYCUT, THATS AH JOKE,....... MAN..... "NAW, DAS TWO JOKES" THESE TWO BIG TIME POLITICO COUILLIONS BE LAK DA TANGYPA-HOA'S J. P., same Inbred Mental Impaired, LIL EMPEROR'S, WID DA FRIZZIES VINO BOTTLE in der hip pocket. dey done graduated from ah load ah gravel fo da COUZANS driveway ta da 4-Lane landscaped road ta the front their houses! - NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:10:11 +0100 http://www.theind.com/home/5288#comment-4452 I was wrong on my statement on rate increases and taxes . The Chamber was against any increase in the minimum wage. How would you like to pay your utility bill increase making minimum wage?? - northsidian Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:05:41 +0100 http://www.theind.com/home/5288#comment-4449 The Lafayette Chamber of Commerce has never met a rate increase or tax increase they didn't fall in love with!! - northsidian Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:20:36 +0100 http://www.theind.com/home/5288#comment-4446 Keemosabi , December 01, 2009 Sell the Fiber and use the proceeds for electricity. *************** they can't sell the fiber; literally!! that's the problem! LUS is doig fine! This is to bring in money for the fiber fiasco! - realitychecks Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:41:28 +0100 http://www.theind.com/home/5288#comment-4438 Everyone wants a reliable utility system. The issue is about costs (money) and a policy decision about who needs it most in the current economy. Older citizens on social security and other fixed income, as well as the disabled, and the working poor (people with jobs who are barely making ends meet) cannot handle an increased utility rate. Also, many people in the oil field have lost their jobs; others have not lost their jobs, but are working on reduced income due to the loss of overtime pay or due to not being called out to work as frequently. - LAFAYETTE DEMOCRAT Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:31:24 +0100 http://www.theind.com/home/5288#comment-4425 Trying to cover the fiber losses? smoke and mirrors..... - realitychecks Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:21:49 +0100 http://www.theind.com/home/5288#comment-4422 I moved my small business to Lafayette in part because of the reliability of the utility system. If I am out of electricity for days, I lose much more money than a minimum rate increase. Are these councilmen as stupid as they sound? My patients will also be put at risk (elderly mostly) if they lose electricity their equipment requires. - Council of Dunces! Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:59:43 +0100 http://www.theind.com/home/5288#comment-4420 Sell the Fiber and use the proceeds for electricity. - Keemosabi Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:59:46 +0100