Munsterman urges repeal of Villisca board

To the Citizens of Villisca,

My wife and I have lived in Villisca for 19 years. We have operated Villisca Foods & The Bank. During that time, we have never failed to meet our obligations to the Villisca Municipal Power. In the last four months we have seen bills double for all commercial businesses. The commercial businesses are paying 100% more than we would have had to if we were purchasing our power from MidAmerica Energy. The difference would have been $20,000.00 annually for Villisca Foods alone.

The residential bills are 16% higher than they would have been with Mid America Energy. This is causing a great deal of hardships to the families in Villisca who are already struggling to pay their bills in the current economy. Many families and senior citizens are living on fixed incomes and are struggling to afford their current electric bills, let alone another rate increase.

If we do not vote to disband the light board and put this decision into the hands of the people we are headed for the destruction of our town.

If we continue to spend more money at the Villisca Municipal Power Plant for new meters, new transmission lines, higher payroll, and replacing equipment, we will never be able to control our rates.

Everyone talks about MidAmerica Energy raising their rates, but it states in the Omaha World Herald on Oct. 1, 2010, that MidAmerica Energy Iowa-based which supplies electricity to large parts of the state including Council Bluffs, Avoca, Loveland, Crescent, Walnut, Hancock, and Oakland has not raised its base electric rates since 1995 and expects the rates to remain unchanged through 2013, according to spokeswoman Ann Thelen. The average residential customer in Council Bluffs, Iowa paid about $69.00 a month for electricity last year. Cost savings and MidAmerica’s size helps it control rates, Thelen said.

Please help us keep what businesses we have left in Villisca, and to keep our families young and old. We need everyone to keep our community going. We can make a change for the better.

Gene Munstermann