Bill would keep municipal utility operations in the dark

If your electricity comes from a public utility, you soon may be kept in thedark about pricing and marketing policies. A bill which cleared the HouseCommerce Committee yesterday would keep the business dealings of municipalutilities secret from citizens who’re paying the bills. RepresentativeWillard Jenkins represents parts of Cedar Falls, including the city-ownedcable and telephone utilities.Jenkins says city-run utilities operate at a disadvantage because theirbusiness operations are a matter of public record.If the bill becomes law, the marketing and pricing policies of municipalutilities will be kept secret until the utility’s board decides to make itpublic.Critics say the public has a right to know how their tax dollars are beingspent, and keeping public utility board proceedings open achieves that goal.