MARK SCHUMANN
In response to a story I posted this morning, Mark Mucher, a frequent contributor to public comment time at Vero Beach City Council meetings and a former member of the Planning and Zoning Commission, submitted the following comment, “Kissimmee’s rate is wrong, you idiot! You ‘forgot’ their $10.17 customer charge.”
Citing the Florida Municipal Electric Association’s monthly statewide bill comparison, the story reported the rate per 1000 kWh charged by each of the 14 members of the Florida Municipal Power Agency’s All Requirements Project. Kissimmee Electric’s rate was listed as $98.41.
Before January 2015, Kissimmee reported its rates without including an 8 percent transfer to the city’s general fund. Accounting for its general fund transfer, Kissimmee’s rate for 1000 kWh is actually $107.
The larger point of the bill comparison was to illustrate that rates for 7 of the FMPA’s All Requirements members are below the average for Florida’s investor owned utilities. At $107, Kissimmee Electric, for example, is $14.81 per kWh under the average for investor owned utilities.
Mucher had another sharp comment to make in response to a column I wrote suggesting that in her practice of “advocacy journalism” island weekly reporter, Lisa Zahner, had gone too far by describing FMEA Executive Director Barry Moline as a “villain” and a “propaganda-meister.” Because they are typically laced with the same snark, sarcasm and mean-spiritedness so characteristic of Zahner’s writing, most of Mucher’s comments submitted to Inside Indian River are not posted. These two comments I am posting to illustrate the level of animus that has infected Vero Beach and Indian River County politics.
Indian River Guardian 
I can honestly say there have been times in the past when I’ve commented about Mr. Mucher and others in pretty much the same way. Rev. Scott Alexander reminds me via his weekly messages that we urgently need Compassion, Calm, and Serenity in our lives to overcome divisions among us. It is tempting to address others “in kind” but given the serious situation – a possible assault on our quality of life in Vero Beach – I intend to refrain. Thank you, Mr. Schumann, for helping to put the ‘facts’ into perspective. We must realize that private business – huge corporations – are under pressure to provide a return on their stockholders’ investment. A municipality – THIS one – must attempt to balance cost of governing with services. I believe those currently at the helm have the ability to do just that.
I’m often easily confused and the the following quote from the article only adds to that debility. “Before January 2015, Kissimmee reported its rates without including an 8 percent transfer to the city’s general fund. Accounting for its general fund transfer, Kissimmee’s rate for 1000 kWh is actually $107.”
Is the “fund transfer” tacked on the bill as a franchise fee? Or, as Vero has done for years, an accounting that shifts funds from the utility to the general fund post collection? If the later, then the Kissimmee rates stand w/o the after collection transfer fee at the originally quoted lower amount. What are customers billed? Clarification please?
Bob, Kissimmee’s electric customers are billed the higher amount, with 8 percent being transferred to the city’s general fund. For Kissimmee to report only the portion of its bill that covers expenses, while not reflecting the portion of its electric utility revenues that is transferred to the city’s general fund, would be like Florida Power & Light reporting a rate that excludes the portion of its revenues that goes to pay dividends to shareholders. Everyone knows FPL has among the lowest rate in Florida. The company could show even lower rates if it applied the reporting practice Kissimmee has been using. All of this, though, is to get lost in the weeds. However you account for Kissimmee’s rates, they are below the statewide averaged for investor owned utilities.