 Ripley Energy Authority
A GREAT idea for YOU,
our customer
Ripley Power & Light wants to become an Energy Authority to protect our customers, our low rates and our services.
Many untrue rumors are circulating this community. We want our customers to know the truth…
Rumors versus The Truth…
Rumor: Jackson Energy Authority is going to take over our Power Company.
Truth: The Power Company is not for sale. In fact, it couldn’t be sold unless the Ripley Board of Aldermen and Ripley citizens vote to sell it.
Rumor: A Power Company employee shouldn’t have so much power.
Truth: Any decision-making power given to any employee is given by the Power Company Board of Directors. No employee acts on his or her own.
• Rumor: The Power Company is spending its customers' money buying t-shirts, signs
and door hangers.
Truth: The Power Company bought 10 signs that say we support the Energy Authority. The employees of the Power Company bought all the other signs, t-shirts and door hangers that say vote FOR the Energy Authority.
Rumor: The President of the Power Company is forcing his employees to walk the streets for the Energy Authority.
• Truth: Power Company employees believe that becoming an Energy Authority benefits Power Company customers. On a strictly voluntary basis, they walk the streets of Ripley each afternoon to tell electric customers the benefits of becoming an Energy Authority and to answer customers' questions.
• Rumor: Once board members are appointed to the Ripley Energy Authority Board of Directors, they can serve as long as they would like.
• Truth: Power Company board members are either re-appointed or replaced at the end of their four-year term by the Mayor and Board of Alderman. This will not change under an Energy Authority.
• Rumor: The City will have to bail the Power Company out of bad financial deals.
• Truth: The Energy Authority protects the City from having any financial, legal or contractual obligations. The City is much better off under an Energy Authority than it is right now.
• Rumor: The City will no longer be able to use Power Company assets to issue bonds for the City.
• Truth: The City has NEVER been able to use Power Company assets to borrow against. How would the Power Company be able to finance substation and other needs to serve our customers if the City had already borrowed against the assets?
• Rumor: Becoming an Energy Authority is another effort to combine the utility departments.
• Truth: The Energy Authority specifically prohibits the Power Company from doing anything directly or indirectly to provide gas, water or wastewater.
• Rumor: If the Energy Authority passes, we can make electric rates whatever we want them to be.
• Truth: TVA is our regulator; we have to justify ANY rate increases or changes to TVA. Ripley Power and Light Co. has a 70-year history of keeping your electric rates as low as possible — and that will NOT change.
• Rumor: If the Energy Authority passes, the Power Company will get into cable TV, telephone and internet service.
•
Truth: The Energy Authority specifically prohibits us from getting into cable TV. In fact, we can get into cable TV now if we wanted to, but the Energy Authority will prevent that. The Power Company has never had an interestin getting into telecommunication services. We are experts in the power distribution business – New Wave and ATT are experts in the telecommunication business. We have always believed that it would be foolish for a small power company to compete with huge telecommunication companies.
• Rumor: We would be selling Ripley Power and Light Company.
•
Truth: Your power company is a government agency; it can't be sold like a private company. We want to become an Energy Authority so we can protect your electric utility from being sold. Ripley Power and Light Company can only be sold by the City of Ripley, and the Energy Authority requires a referendum before it can be sold.
• Rumor: Mike Allmand and the Power Board get to hand pick the Ripley Energy Authority Board.
•
Truth: No board member can EVER serve on the Ripley Energy Authority Power Board without first being approved by the Ripley Mayor and Board of Aldermen. Qualified, competent, business-minded people will be selected, but will always have to be approved by the City before they can serve as a board member. This benefits our customers.
Questions?
Call us at 731-635-2323 or 731-836-7595 or email us.
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Ripley, Tennessee 38063