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Saturday, February 06, 2016

Berlin Needs To Hold Consultant Accountable

It was welcome news this week to hear the Town of Berlin is seeking some sort of “fair” compensation from the consultant that unnecessarily cost the municipality about $435,000.

Berlin Mayor Gee Williams reported as much this week and intimated the town would go to court if necessary to recoup some of the money the town will have to spend to right the mistake. While power issues can be complicated, the simplest way to explain what happened is the town contracts with a consultant, Booth and Associates, to manage its power operations. The town meets each December with the Maryland Public Service Commission to review the town-owned electric company’s purchased power cost adjustment.

That review found the town missed a peak power generation period in February that should have been tracked by the consultant. The end result being the town needs to recover $435,876 from property owners. Rather than pass it all on to the consumers, the town opted to use $100,000 of its significant reserves to soften the blow, resulting in property owners seeing their electric bills increase by $2.50, starting this month, to make up the shortage.

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8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah... tax payers paying for their mistakes! Have to love the government.

Anonymous said...

Let's be sure to hire that consultant again!

Anonymous said...

The mayor and council should refund the tax payers! They hired the consultant and it's only going to cost money to take them to court. They should pay back the tax payers then file suit to get themselves repaid. They won't do that though. They are nothing but politicians and being responsible and honest isn't in them.

Anonymous said...

Piss poor management in the town of Berlin! Time to reduce their pay for not doing their jobs correctly!

Anonymous said...

Off the subject here, But has the town of Pittsville ever recouped any of the stolen funds?
After the snow and rain lately the towns drainage ditches are at peak and a gross sight let alone causing soggy yards everywhere.
Maybe V.P.WHITEHEAD who begged for the defendants mercy can get his shovel out and help the taxpayer instead of defending against them.

Anonymous said...

"Cool" towns are run like great businesses.
"Cool" towns do not elect flaming liberal mayors.
"Cool" towns operate by "open" government.
"Cool" towns don't ask money from the people when they are sitting on millions already taken from those same people!!!

So...get "Cool" Berlin, or give back your false claim...and you can keep your knuckle headed mayor as a booby prize.

Anonymous said...

Things are slowly crumbling down around Berlin and Mayor Williams--he was caught again not letting the town taxpayers and Council know what is going on. Many things secret--this one going to charge the taxpayers, the secret meetings with Freeman about the golf course, secret promises about Tysons, quick real estate transaction with Dollar General, back door meeting to stay our of lawsuit with AGH, demoting Ms. Bohlen and making up a title for Fleetwood, pushing back the police department, not including the fire and police department in any discussions about 700+ homes on Seahawk Rd, belittling the people who came to complain about parking on the sidewalks at Venables Cleaners, parking the stage across south main street blocking those businesses who don't kiss his butt, and on and on I could type. One last thing about more real estate purchases it was overheard that he will sell his mother and his property to as they join up to Tysons.

Anonymous said...

Don't forget the new purchase procedure so no more purchase orders at council meetings