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Board of Public Works leaders push for rate framework, defend no‑free‑utilities stance
Summary
Leaders of the Hannibal Board of Public Works told the City Council they will propose changes to the rate-and-fee schedule and urged the council to respect the board’s financial decisions; board members said bed-tax funded entities should not receive free utilities and pledged to comply with any council directive.
John Ortworth, president of the Hannibal Board of Public Works, told the City Council during public comment that the BPW will bring an 11‑page proposed schedule of rates and fees to an April rate hearing that would add an industrial pricing category and adjust one existing residential/commercial band. “What we are looking at is modifying the schedule of rate and fees,” Ortworth said, describing a process that includes a recommendation, a public rate hearing and then a board vote to adopt a new price list.
Ortworth said a recently announced General Mills cogeneration plant — to be operated by Unison Energy — will generate some on‑site power and reduce the amount of electricity purchased from the BPW, a change that has “direct implications to the franchise fees that are collected off of that energy.” He said the board has negotiated terms intended “to keep the city whole with its income.”
On the question of providing free utilities to local cultural properties, Ortworth said the BPW board considered requests to place the Hannibal Visitor Convention Bureau and the Molly Brown House on a no‑charge list and “decided no for the same reasons,” noting bed‑tax funding for the bureau and the impact on rates for utility customers. “We acknowledge the city council’s authority and are open to its guidance,” he added.
Kelly Cookson, a BPW board member, addressed comments from the March 3 council meeting and urged clearer communication between the board and council. Cookson emphasized that BPW utilities are rate‑funded rather than tax‑funded and said the utility uses reserves and multi‑year planning to smooth customer impacts. “The Hannibal Board of Public Works provides essential services 24/7 every day helping protect the community,” she said, adding that the board welcomes residents to attend BPW meetings and contact board members directly.
Councilors and residents pressed the BPW about public engagement and meeting times. Residents and at least one councilor said prior BPW meetings were scheduled at times many working residents could not attend; Cookson said the BPW will start holding rate hearings at later times (around 5 p.m. or 5:30 p.m.) going forward to increase public accessibility.
What’s next: BPW staff will publish the proposed rate‑and‑fee schedule ahead of the April rate hearing and hold the public hearing before the board takes a formal vote.
