By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
It is hoped that an error has occurred in a billing of the Mona Irrigation Company for natural gas.
Gordon Young, representing the irrigation company, met with Mona City Council members to protest the increase in cost of the utility.
The utility is used to run the pumps used by the irrigation company.
Young said there had been a great increase in the price charged and there had been no forewarning that there would be.
Last year, the cost was .74017 and this year it is .75672. The rate is expressed in dollars per therm (.74 would be 74 cents per therm).
The irrigation rate is set by the Juab Rural Development Agency (JRDA). The board of that agency has representatives from Mona, Levan, Nephi, and Juab County.
"Why is the irrigation price so much different from last year?" asked Young.
In the past, the irrigation company had actually paid less per therm than residential customers.
"We give a 30 percent discount on half," said Michelle Dalton, city secretary.
The city, however, does not set the rate. As was mentioned, that rate is set by the JRDA board. Dalton said that she is given the price per therm by Tony Ferguson, Superintendent of Nephi City Power and Natural Gas Systems.
Ferguson sent a list of the agreed upon rates to each of the utility member communities.
"If we shut off the pumps," said Young, "you would see what an impact that would have on the culinary system in the city."
Electricity is billed in kilowatt hours (kWh) and natural gas in therms. Since natural gas meters measure volume and not energy content, a therm factor is used by natural gas companies to convert the volume of gas used to its heat equivalent, and thus calculate the actual energy use.
"Overall, the price quoted ends up being about a 15 percent increase," said Everd Squire, city fiance director. "I think there is some mistake."
Jeff Hearty, council member, said that he had also been unaware of the rate increase for the irrigation company. He is on the board designed to review the rates for the year.
"To my knowledge, no meetings have been held," he said.
Doran Kay, resident, said that when he had been a council member, there had been an annual meeting held with the JRDA advisory board for the utility where proposed rates were reviewed.
"Each year, a meeting was held to determine the rates for the year," said Kay.
Several communities are tied together in the utility.
In 1991 a new natural gas system was installed in east Juab County.
Twenty six miles of 8-inch high pressure gas line feed natural gas from Questar Pipeline's main trunk line in Payson Canyon to Nephi.
Eleven miles of 4-inch high pressure pipe take gas on south of Nephi to Levan Town.
The cities of Rocky Ridge, Nephi, Mona and Levan and to county utility customers are all served by the pipeline.
This high pressure transmission system was designed and installed to provide over 500 percent of a 6 year projected gas requirement for the area. However, this system is large enough to serve an area larger than Richfield, Cedar City, and the St. George area combined.
State of the art distribution systems were installed in Nephi City, Mona Town, and Levan Town and Rocky Ridge.
"June's billing is for two months," said Dalton. "I go do a read the last day of the month."
This month, she had Kim Hall, Nephi City Natural Gas Department Leadman, read the meter to check her reading for accuracy. The two reads had been the same.
"We have been pumping about the same as last year," said Young. "If we are charged at this rate, we will run the company bankrupt."
Bill MIlls, mayor, said the city does have an administration charge that could be used to help offset the irrigation company's bill. However, he said, the best thing to do would be to set up a meeting with Ferguson.
"I think if we get together with him we can iron it all out," said Mills.
He said that he would be responsible, as mayor, for setting up a meeting and for seeing what the problem could be and that, likely, some error had been made that could be easily rectified.
