The Final Word – Deja Vu All Over Again

By Diane Lowrey
R-T Editor
Where were you on March 12, 1980?
I know where I was. I was sitting (at midnight, no less) in the upstairs office of what was then the Pickett & Raynes law office watching the Trenton City Council vote to abolish the Board of Public Works.
On a vote of 6-2, the 1980 city council agreed to abolish the BPW and attempted to establish a Waterworks Board to essentially do what the BPW was already doing. When council members were told they legally could not do that, the council then assumed operations of Trenton Municipal Utilities – a decision that lasted all of two months, when the council re-established the board that operated pretty much the same way until last week, with the 2015 version of the city council deciding to follow the lead of its 1980 counterpart.
Covering the city council both times, I see so many similarities as to what happened in 1980 and what led to last week’s decision. In both instances, escalating utility expenses were mentioned – in particular recent increases in utility rates. But what I remember most from 1980 and what I have observed during this go-round has been a clash of personalities – some members of the council unhappy with some of the decisions made by the BPW which, under state statute and city ordinance, was (and still is) responsible for operation of TMU, including development of a budget that is ultimately approved by the city council (as per city ordinance).
In an article appearing in the March 13, 1980 edition of the Republican-Times, fourth ward councilman Weldon Berry, now deceased, declared the reason for the abolishment of the board “was to get some better communication between the two groups (board and council).” At that time, the council had little authority over the BPW due to the way state statutes and city ordinances regulating the board were set up. Meetings on both March 12 and 13 in 1980 had several members of the public attending, voicing their opposition to the council action – something the 2015 council didn’t have because up until last week’s special meeting, there had been no hint the council intended to abolish the BPW.
An election was then held that April, during which time three council incumbents who had supported abolishment of the board were defeated and, one month later, the BPW was re-established.
Fast forward to 2015.
Because of escalating utility costs, much of which has to do with state and federal regulations, the BPW has again been forced to increase its rates for electricity, water and sewer. It wasn’t something that was done lightly – many meetings were spent discussing what needed to be done and how to do it and the board even had a rate study done before making its decision. The rates currently in place were approved by the city council when it approved the TMU budget a year ago. It wasn’t until after one or two citizens started coming to meetings to voice their concerns that the council really began questioning BPW decisions – down to the point of questioning whether or not the utility should hire an outside firm to trim some of the trees around TMU electric lines. That, and the disagreement between the board and council regarding the “administrative fee” the utility is required to pay to the city, has fueled tensions between the two groups to the point that the council has now decided the board is no longer needed.
The council, at its April 13 meeting, is expected to take up ordinances that would abolish the board and hand over control of the utility to the council. After Tuesday’s election, two of the councilmen who were in favor of this action will no longer be members. Rather than go ahead and take action on those ordinances, I think it would be prudent for the council to wait until the new members are seated and let them study the issue before a vote is taken. Allowing the two soon-to-be former council members to make that decision could very well lead the council back to where it was in 1980 – putting the board back in place after those elected to represent their constituents determine that is what should be done. They could very well vote to go ahead to abolish the board, but that should be the new council’s decision. They shouldn’t have to go back and correct a mistake that I believe is being made by the council in abolishing the BPW.
We have four good members on the board (one of whom is a former councilman), all with a strong business background and the understanding of what it takes to run a multi-million utility. They (as well as the previous BPW) have been forced to make a lot of hard decisions, thanks to regulations being forced on TMU by the federal and state governments, and I believe those decisions have been based on sound business practices. The city council has enough on its plate without taking on another duty that is already being handled by a very competent group of individuals. It’s certainly OK that the council monitor the board’s activities, but to abolish the board because you don’t like what it’s doing is just plain wrong.