By David Brown
Of the Emeratd
The Springfield Utility Board began discuss
ing a reduction in a planned 28 5 percent elec
tricity rate hike Wednesday and set a public
hearing to continue considering the matter for
Oct 26
The reduction would cut a scheduled Oc
tober residential rate hike by 10 percentage
points to 18 5 percent
The rollback proposal results from SUB's
recent release from its contract to pay $124
million for bonds funding construction of two
moth-balled nuclear power plants in Washington
Because the contract created a general financing
liability, the utility needed ratepayer approval to
legally enter the contract, according to a ruling
issued by Lane County Circuit Judge George
Woodrich.
SUB contracted to pay the Washington Pub
lic Power Supply System for the bonds regardless
of whether any electricity was produced by
WPPSS nuclear power plants 4 and 5
The rollback would return some of the
revenue raised by those bonds
But several Springfield residents, including
Peter DeFazio, candidate for the Springfield seat
on the Lane County Board of Commissioners,
filed a lawsuit contesting the utility's authority to
into enter the contract without voter approval and
added their arguments for a larger rollback
“Springfield ratepayers owe nothing for
WPPSS 4 and 5," testified a representative of
Springfield Fair Share, an statewide activist or
ganization "But this happened not because our
utility was protecting its ratepayers, but because
(Springfield citizens) filed suit on behalf of our
ratepayers," he said
The board should seriously consider giving
the ratepayers a rollback greater than 10 percent.
DeFazio later told the board The rate reduction
only accounts for $2 million of the $6 million
generated for this year's payments to WPPSS
through budget carryovers, rate hikes, opera
tional cutbacks and layoffs
"Look very hard at that $4 million," DeFazio
advised
"You know, you're not looking at the prob
lems," replied board member Bob Adams "I've
made the statement to you before of how our
accounts receivable has grown in the six months
that I've been on the board Asa businessman,
it’s scary," Adams said SUB will need that extra
revenue before the year's end, he said
The board should also drop a lawsuit
defending its authority to enter contracts such as
the one with WPPSS, continued DeFazio and two
other Springfield residents
"I would urge the board to do everything they
can to reinforce (Judge Woodrich's ruling) to
join with us" in upholding the ruling in the state
Supreme Court, DeFazio said
WPPSS is expected to appeal the Woodrich
ruling in the Oregon Supreme Court Neverthe
less, the decision to roll back rates is sound, said
Steve Loveland, SUB general manager
Garry McMurry, SUB s special counsel, said
the utility's customers will pay the price if the
board is not successful in defending its authority
to enter into contracts to purchase electricity
"What is the effect on our ability to buy power
from BPA (the Bonneville Power Administration),'
he asked
McMurry also urged continuing SUB's suit
charging WPPSS with default of the contract
through mismanagement
Late loans got you in a pinch?
University fund lends help to students caught short
By Frank Shaw
Of the EmaraM
Is your Guaranteed Student
Loan three weeks late?
Have you gone through the
first two weeks of class without
books because you can't afford
them?
The University's short-term
loan fund could be the answer
to your problems
The fund consists of about
$900,000. according to Larry
Tergesen, accounting supervi
sor
Last year the maximum
amount a student could borrow
was raised from $150 to $250,
and the fund ran dry several
times
To be eligible for a loan, a
student is required to be en
rolled for at least six credit
hours (five hours for graduate
students), have no outstanding
debts to the University and have
tilled out a short form in the
financial aid office
Ed Vignoul, financial aid dir
ector, sees the loan fund as a
service for those who really
need it
"It should be available to
students who for some reason
are in a short-term bind for
money " he says
Money ran out last year, Vig
noul says, because of the in
crease in the maximum loan
amount and the increase in the
University's long-term loan pro
gram
"We didn't anticipate
students would take out the full
amount of the loan,” Vignoul
says "We thought they would
continue to take out just what
they needed, but that turned out
not to be the case. "
Both Vignoul and Tergesen
feel the students have to decide
whether they really need the full
amount
"It is an emergency loan pro
gram and it should be used for
emergencies,” Tergesen says
Despite the fact that both feel
the loans should be used only
for emergencies, there is no
checking up on the reasons a
student wants a loan
"We figure the students are
old enough to know if they need
the money,'1 Vignoul says, "and
we won't question their judg
ment."
"For the most part a student
can walk into financial aid, fill
out a short form and pick up
their loan the next day,” Vignoul
says "That's not an option
that's available many other
places."
Last year the buisness office
gave out $1,541,088 90 in loans.
So far this year Tergesen es
timates they've given out
$653,000
All the money in the loan fund
comes from donations, Terge
sen says. The fund is
self-sustaining — as loans are
paid back the money is returned
to the fund
If the fund continues to run
dry Vignoul says he will propose
lowering the maximum amount
a student can borrow He's
happy with the amount that is
currently given out because it
will provide enough money for a
student to buy books and pay
part of their fees
HALLOWEEN
IT’S COMING AT YOU!
For all your costume needs
visit
St. Vincent De Paul
Open 9:30-7 pm every evening until Halloween
(closed Sunday)
110 East 11th 501 Main 2053 River Road
JOHN F. KENNEDY
SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT
IS LOOKING FOR FUTURE LEADERS IN PUBLIC
AFFAIRS COME LEARN ABOUT HARVARD’S
TWO-YEAR MASTER S PROGRAM IN PUBLIC
POLICY. LEADING TO EITHER THE MASTER IN
PUBLIC POLICY OR CITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING
DEGREE
MEET WITH
DATE:
TIME:
CONTACT:
CALVIN MOSLEY
ASSISTANT DEAN OF THE
PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAM
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19. 1982
2 P M AND 3 P.M. GROUP
INFORMATIONAL SESSIONS
IN ROOM 101, EMU
HAZEL POWELL
RECRUITMENT COORDINATOR
686-3235
ALL STUDENTS. ALL MAJORS, ALL YEARS
WELCOME! JOINT DEGREE PROGRAMS OFFERED
WITH HARVARD'S OTHER PROFESSIONAL
SCHOOLS
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