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Ted Wright -- last update 7/2/2005 (& 7/6 & 7/7) (GasDecision1.html) www.cvilleok.com
Copyright 2005 -- Collinsville, Oklahoma

Natural Gas From ONG -or- City?
Collinsville Voters Will Decide
July 2-7, 2005
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Vote August 9th

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Ted Wright Comments
For
Against

Citizens To Vote On Gas Franchise After Commissioners Said Yes June 6th ... election date is August 9th... following information in the newspaper opposing the gas franchise last week and getting a telephone survey call today ... I am awaiting answers to a series of gas franchise questions I submitted to Mayor Sallee June 23rd. I will post those answers when I receive them. -- Ted 6/28


June 29 comment: I've had to disqualify myself twice from the apparently ONG sponsored phone survey (as a member of the news media), so I don't know what people are being asked or told. I did get one opinion that the phone survey was "obviously slanted against the city bid to buy ONG's franchise". If anyone who has actually listened to and responded to the phone survey would like to tell me their opinion (of the survey) I would like to share that with others on cvilleok.com.
Note: I'm not asking yet for an opinion on the issue to be voted on because I think we should all wait until both sides of the issue have presented their facts ... which I hope will happen soon. -- Ted Wright

June 30: Ron may have jumped the gun a bit ... but I will go ahead and accept a few short letters if you have more on the phone survey or an opinion already. -- Ted

(Link to Mayor's Answers)-6/30

Both the Collinsville Chamber of Commerce and Collinsville Downtown, Inc. have endorsed the City's proposal to purchase the gas franchise. -- Ted 7/1 (More Info)
"Citizens For Collinsville" have endorsed the City's gas franchise proposal. (More Info)

I received my survey call from ONG Monday evening. It was curious to me that the call was from New York. Scripted questions tried to make it sound as if our city was not competent to handle a utility of this type. I believe that our city and employees show their ability to handle their jobs on a daily basis. When asked if after all her questions and misleadings, how would I vote Aug. 9th. When I told her that I would vote in favor of Collinsville purchasing the gas utility, she asked me, why? When I told her that I wanted to see that the money stayed in my community, she paused, then said "whoa ... instead of sending it to corporate America!" I said exactly. She said that I had just made her job very hard to do.

By the way it must be quite profitable for ONG if they are paying people in New York instead of keeping their money here locally or even in Oklahoma for that matter.

I would encourage all to keep your money in your community.

Ron Phelps -- June 30, 2005

Before you read this, please be aware that I am not employed by ONG, a "corporate giant", or the City of Collinsville. In August, I will be voting "No" to the purchase of the ONG gas system.

Mr. Rogers has made a good case for the purchase of the ONG Franchise. Unfortunately, the facts in his article and in the most recent Collinsville News editorials are overshadowed by this "slay the mean, uncaring corporate giant" mentality that we all seem to fall into from time to time. The real fact is that ONG and companies like it have been providing safe, quality, and efficient gas distribution service for many years. And while I would not dare go so far as to call ONG the greatest company in the world, I would offer the following thoughts:

(1) ONG offers a very clear, precise billing statement every month and allows for online account access and payment. Compare your current City of Collinsville bill with your ONG bill and notice the difference. Can you tell exactly how the money you pay for electricity, sewer, and water is being spent?
(2) How often have you had to call ONG to have them fix your gas? Now, how many times has your power gone out? In the year that I have lived here, I don't remember seeing anything published about problems with ONG or gas utilities until now.
(3) Talk with builders in the area or with Collinsville Schools. Has ONG been helpful or unhelpful in the installation and upkeep of gas lines?
(4) Can you spot ONG trucks nearby? I know of at least 2 ONG employees that live in town. One lives on my street!

A recent article in the Tulsa World's Eastside section puts emphasis on just how bad this could be for our city. With electricity, water, and sewer franchises under municipal control, the city continues to see increased expenditures, and decreased revenues. And now, because we can't make a profit off of the utilities we already own, we have to make cuts. And while our streets may be holey, our power lines blocked by untrimmed trees, our city pool closed, our schools lacking money from the ad valorem tax, and our alleyways and parks un-maintained, the city will somehow scrape up enough money to make loan payments, upkeep the existing system, pay the 2 new employees, and try to pay off the city's debt. I'm pretty sure when the city bought the electric franchise the citizens were assured we would make a lot of money. Yet here we are, three utilities bought and we're still growing deeper in debt…why not add one more? Perhaps we should cut our losses, sell the electric franchise while prices are high, and get our heads above water before we drown in a sea of red.

Face it, folks, the price of natural gas is rising and so will your gas bill, no matter who owns the franchise. We need to get past this "corporate giant" nonsense and sit down with ONG to try and renegotiate the franchise agreement. Perhaps with another contract we can negotiate a higher percentage of the revenue. Or, maybe we can offer the gas system to another gas company. Most importantly, it is the responsibility of BOTH sides to inform the public of the facts, without using scare tactics and dodgy propaganda. I would challenge ONG and the Citizens for Collinsville to meet together in a HIGHLY PUBLICIZED open forum to answer questions from the people of this city. I would also encourage the city commissioners to sit down with ONG, one on one, and try to work up a favorable contract.

Please use your right as a U.S. citizen and vote on this issue in August! If you agree with me that this is a bad idea, write the newspaper and please vote "No" to purchasing the ONG gas franchise. Thank you.

Chris Armistead
Concerned Collinsville Homeowner
(July 7, 2005)

I will post a few short concise messages "For" & "Against" the city taking over the ONG gas franchise.
I will withhold your name online if you wish, but the name must be provided when submitted. -- Ted 7/3
Note: I haven't seen any ballot wording yet ... so I'm just assuming the for-against direction will be as above. -- Ted 6/30
Susan Babbitt called to report that she asked her "NY phone survey taker" who was paying for the survey, and that she was told it "was on behalf of the City of Collinsville". Susan said she knew that wasn't true. She also said she wasn't asked if she lived in the city limits (where the franchise question applies). -- Ted 6/30/05

Also see comments on the bottom of the 6/27 school board meeting page referencing the gas issue. -- Ted

And the City Meeting July 5th.

Mayor Sallee is on the July 11th School Board Agenda
(I assume to discuss the ad valorum tax issue). -- Ted 7/7

The School Board did endorse the City's gas franchise proposal at their July 11th meeting. -- Ted

Collinsville's gas service was provided for many years by Ruth Fuel Co. The 1942 news story above was printed within 4 months of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I wonder if the City or ONG would be willing to provide that type of service in today's world? -- Ted

I received a phone call today (June 28) from a representative of ONG. I thought it was very strange that the ONG representative was calling from New York City and not Oklahoma. It was apparent that he did not know our needs or the issues. Also I do not think it was a fair poll. They asked only loaded questions.

As a large consumer of natural gas, I would much rather the profits from my bill be reinvested in the City where I already have a vested interest rather than go to a large corporation.

As a business owner, I applaud our mayor and the City Commissioners that voted yes to buy the ONG lines and to bring this one time opportunity to a City vote on August 9th. In my opinion, this is a no-brainer. ONG has never bought a fire truck or a police car or an ambulance for the City of Collinsville. It makes real good sense to me to buy at home and keep the dollars in Collinsville and not send our money to big time corporate America. That is why I am voting YES on August 9th.

Mike Lames
Collinsville Business Owner

Note: Chris' letter below is well beyond a "short concise" message but I will include the entire text, as he emailed it (i.e. I didn't have to retype it like I did the others). If I need more space later I will likely cut portions.
Also note: I think I have fulfilled my public service to both sides with free information ... additional discussion should be in the form of paid advertisements --- Ted 7/7 3pm