By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
After announcing ballot initiatives at an afternoon press conference Thursday, the Citizens for Galion political group presented Galion City Auditor Brian Treisch with a certified statement of the initiatives they want to go up for vote in November.
Former council member and former law director Roberta Wade delivered the certified statement which calls for an ordinance authorizing the City of Galion to enter into a contract for auditing and consulting services to audit the city electric rates billed from July 1, 2005 through Dec. 31, 2012, and to determine the amounts consumers have been overbilled for electric during this period, establishing a fair and impartial process for the audit procedure, and authorizing the issuance of refund checks to those who were overcharged during the period.
Wade explained that they had wanted to do an audit as early as 2005 after strange numbers started to appear in the PCA.
“We wanted to start to be audited in 2005, some strange numbers started appearing pretty quickly, like the first couple look okay, but probably the third maybe fourth PCA they started looking suspicious, they just don’t follow the formula,” Wade said.
Prior to the ordinance making it to November’s election it has to be approved by the City of Galion auditor, as well as the Board of Elections. The deadline to file the proposed ordinance along with enough signatures from Galion voters with the Board of Elections is Aug. 5. The group needs 232 valid signatures from registered voters in Galion for the measure to be placed on November’s ballot.
Former Galion City Council President Donald Faulds was on hand for the press conference and noted that as much as $4 million could be owed to those who paid electric rates from that time period.
“The fund was designed to maintain a level of $3.5 million, and because of some situations and the calculation and implementation of the ordinance it grew to roughly $7.5 million,” Faulds said. “So that additional $4 million dollars is obviously an overcharge to the public. So it is not just a certain group of individuals in the community that would get a refund it is everybody.”
“So every business and industry, every homeowner, every church, everybody would get a refund. Based on what they have paid in, and this would be determined by an independent auditor that would come in and audit the books within the city, and they would tell us how much each individual would get back,” Faulds continued.
“If the people pass this and they (Galion city officials) want to fight this, they couldn’t be a city official. If they don’t want to follow the will of the people then they should step down,” Wade added.
If the ordinance is approved to gather signatures, Wade said that they would have a stand outside of the Galion Auto Museum across from the theatre, as well as go door to door to collect signatures.