Is the City a Member or Not?
Great Falls Guy commented here about the city being a member of SME. I responded to that comment with a link to the September 4, 2004 Agenda Report, whereby Coleen Balzarini states the City of Great Falls has been a member of SME since August 2003. Great Falls Guy is correct when he says this or a similar statement is used quite often. It is.
I checked and rechecked all of the minutes and some of the staff reports from 2003 and I could not find where there was a vote taken to allow the city to become a member of SME.
I think the meeting Great Falls Guy said he attended within the past six months,
“I did attend a recent (last six months or so) commission meeting where they did formalize some sort of a membership agreement with SME….”,
was the October 2, 2007 meeting. I too remember thinking at that meeting that it sounded like the city had just become a member; however, all Coleen Balzarini said was the city was the member and she did not indicate when that had occurred. There wasn’t a vote taken that evening to join the co-op.
Maybe GeeGuy knows. Did the city give you the documentation that proves the city is a member?
People ‘do ‘ care…………….lay it all on the table as far as now defunct confidentially agreements, development agreements and as stated here, the ‘official’ membership affiliations in writing and WHO executed
those agreements on behalf of commissioners, etc…..
WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY and HOW are simple and powerful questions from any elected officials to staff……..no matter if it’s a coal plant,
pool funds, police matters, etc……..oversight and deliberation is expected…
We’re no member because member’s have a say. We are their lap dog.
Just a supposition on my part, but what if Mr. Lawton, in referring to membership in SME since Aug of 03, has tripped himself up and that is the date he and Ms. Balzarini signed the confidentiality agreements with SME as representatives of GF??????
The City of Great Falls is a member of the SME cooperative. It has been contributing 25% of the startup expenses of the cooperative, although what percentage it will actually own is a moving target.
http://ecityblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/15-solution.html
http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:j-PvwUsPE58J:greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20070516/NEWS01/705160310/1002%26template%3Dprintart+%22moving+target%22+site:greatfallstribune.com&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us
Coleen Balzarini claims the city has been a member of SME since August 2003. Jordon Love (see below) says October 2003. SME was not even mentioned in the 2003 commission meeting minutes until November.
From the Commission Work Session of July 19, 2005:
http://www.ci.great-falls.mt.us/records/wsminutes/yr2005/ws07192005.htm
“Administrative Officer Jordan Love presented to the Commission an update on the City’s involvement in the history of how Electric City Power was established. In June of 2003, Northwestern Energy unilaterally canceled supply contracts with Montana cities and schools. In August of 2003, Electric City Power was established by ordinance, and in October, the City joined Southern Montana Electric Generation and Transmission Cooperative (SME)…”
Ordinance #2861 authorizing ECP was not passed until October 7, 2003. I could find no mention of SME in the 2003 minutes until November 4, when the City Commission approved a $23,376.12 capital expenditure toward an economic feasibility study.
http://www.ci.great-falls.mt.us/records/minutes/yr2003/m10072003.htm
http://www.ci.great-falls.mt.us/records/minutes/yr2003/m11042003.htm
How and just when did the city became a member in 2003? I found nothing in the minutes stating the City of Great Falls would become an owner of SME in 2003.
Maybe I should change the title of this post to: “Is the City a LEGAL Member or Not?”
I don’t have time to go back through it all again, but I am reasonably positive that I assured myself that, legally, the City is a member of SME.
The more significant question is just what contractual arrangement governs our relationship with the Cooperative vis-a-vis the Highwood Generating Station, i.e., the mythical Development Agreement.
No offense, but you are retreading some fairly old ground here. If you go back through the old blog, you’ll see where this sits: We’re members of SME, the percent of ownership is a “moving target,” and our contractual relationship has not been cemented legally.
I still would like to see a document, voted upon by the city commission, that spells out our membership, responsibilities, etc in SME. Somebody just show me a real contract and not all this other STUFF!
This might be a resurrection of what was done before, but many folks are new here and times and things change, maybe someday some meat and potatoes will surface before we all forget about it!
GFG, no offense. I harped for months about the fact that we are investing millions of dollars with no contract. The closest I ever got was a draft Development Agreement.
There is so much that is going on with ECP, SME, the city and who knows who else, that it’s sometimes a wonder we can keep any of it straight, if in fact, we are.
I know at the October 2, 2007 commission meeting I was somewhat taken aback by a comment Coleen Balzarini said. She said the city was now a member of SME. I was surprised because I thought the city already was. The impression I came away with was that ECP had been the member all along, not the city. At least one other member of the audience was confused too, because she asked how many votes the city had and Coleen said 1.
We need to hold on tight to stay on this Merry-Go-Round!
GFG said: “We need to hold on tight to stay on this Merry-Go-Round!”
She certainly has that nailed down right. Hold on tight and watch with vigilance, the truth will emerge someday……..
September 16, 2003 consent agenda, Economic Revolving fund, $500.00 for membership fee to SME. (August 28th -September 3rd charges)
“Lawton was careful to say all Great Falls has agreed to so far is to pay $500 to join the cooperative and pay a fair share of exploring energy options.”
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2003/10/08/local/export125619.txt
The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report of Dec. 2005 says, that the city has an equity interest in SME. Geeguy tried in the past to see that agreement which is in Billings and he got no where. That was an interest of 17.??% That interest was accomplished by various cash transfusions that appeared only on the consent agenda after the first 23,ooo cash laid out for a Feasibility study.
During the debates Ms. Hensley fresh from the Fiscal Services Department as Ms. Balzarini’s Asst. corrected the other candidates by saying, ” The City is not building a coal plant – SME is.” (Ms. Hensley has applied for a seat on the Airport Board. She, authoress of that twisted answer about “Open Meetings” in the Trib)
When, in May of this year, we found out the city’s portion of ownership was to be (maybe) 15% not 25% – The mayor, when questioned by yours truly, said that she thought that was a decision made by SME. Just who is SME?
I have been looking at the records for years and what I have never found prior to Nov. Dec 2005, is where the City Commissioners voted to own any part of this plant.
Mr. Gregorie never addressed the Commissioners as “Dear Partners” at any work sessions. He did from the beginning tell the commissioners that 75% of the financing was secure. Mr. Lawton told them the same thing. Soooo not true.
NOTE, this is all from memory with no documents in front of me so please excuse if there are some less than exact dates. Hello Holy Hal, where have you been, hope you are well.
AND another thing
Our City Budget mentions that the ECP power purchases will be less this Fiscal Year. Were we not paying RW Beck to help us sell more power.
Hensley now wants on the Airport board?!! OH…..MY…..GOD! This woman is, as I mentioned once before, a pathological boardhopper! Guess we now know what that giant sucking sound really is! I think we as a community can do better.
Thanks Mary for the timely input.
It all boils down to the fact that the city has been pushing thousands of our tax dollars into SME with no voted on contract or agreement that spell out all the terms, conditions, etc. Going from a 25% ownership to something less that proves the point. Talk about putting the cart before the horse, this is all just plain crazy and impossible to keep up with (probably intentionally).
NIHIL I CARBORUNDUM