Published: July 22, 2008 08:49 am         

WE rates slam city’s poor

Phil Riddle

editor@weatherforddemocrat.com

The current crisis regarding electric rates in Weatherford is striking at every socioeconomic strata. However, some of the hardest hit are those who can least afford additional strain on their monthly budgets.

Local electric bills have jumped since the city switched from a coal-powered plant in West Texas to a nearer, more expensive gas-powered plant. The change came with a new contract and was necessitated, according to the city, when burgeoning wind farms congested the Electric Reliability Commission of Texas power grid between the power source and Weatherford.

Leta Friddle, executive director of the Housing Authority of the City of Weatherford, estimates between half and three-fourths of her 530 clients are in danger of being evicted due to the ballooning costs of power.

“We’re beginning to get calls from people saying, ‘What am I going to do about my electric bill?’” she said.

The federally-funded Housing Authority offers rent assistance to low-income families in Parker County. Two of the basic criteria to remain part of the program are staying current on rent and keep the utilities on.

“Anyone that can’t meet those criteria will be put on the street according to HUD regulations,” Friddle said. “I just can’t put that many people out of the program.”

While the Housing Authority helps with rent, tenants are on their own when it comes to electric bills.

“We don’t help with utilities,” Friddle said. “Those are the tenants’ responsibility. They must keep the utilities on or it becomes a substandard unit.”

Friddle believes city administrators are to blame for signing a contract based on the market price of natural gas.

“It’s not a good contract,” she said. “I don’t believe they had the people in mind when they did it. They did not do their homework or their research. If there’s any possibility to renegotiate that contract, we need to do it. If there isn’t, we need new leaders for the city.”

Friddle said the problem came up so quickly, no policies are in place to protect clients.

“The laws we work with come from HUD in Washington,” she said. “The only way they are aware of a problem is we make them aware. We weren’t aware of this until it was too late. Even at that, the federal government needed to let up on their performance standards when this hit.”

Friddle calls rising electric bills a “barrier” for her clients

“It’s a real barrier,” she said. “It’s happening and it’s happening fast. It is going to snowball and it’s going to limit the number of people we can put on the program.”

She added when power is cut off, tenants get creative. She expects to see extension cords strung from a home with power to one without.

She has photographed electric meters disabled by paper clips.

“What do you do in a situation like that?” she asked. “Do you notify the city or shred the picture and walk away so people can keep their home?”

     

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