Letter to the Editor

PILOT: Our customers

Sunday, February 2, 2003

To the citizens of Sikeston, owners of the Sikeston Power Plant

Your City Council believes, and has confirmed in its policy statement, that a PILOT is the least painful way of raising revenue for the city because doing so could enable us to raise $3 from outside Sikeston for every $1 we raise locally.

Opponents of the PILOT say that it's "unethical and immoral" to ask our "partners," such as Columbia, to help pay the increased costs of our city government through a PILOT.

* Have you ever seen one of our "partners" sitting next to you while you waited for a coal train to clear the tracks along Northwest Street?

* Do our "partners" hear the power plant blow off steam on an otherwise pleasant summer night?

* Do our "partners" look out their back doors and see the smoke stack and mountainous piles of coal?

* Do our "partners" send their fire truck, police cars or medical vehicles to protect the Northwest part of Sikeston while the coal train that has part of town cut off from emergency services?

No, because they are not our "partners, they are our CUSTOMERS who have agreed to purchase power at a cost plus 10 percent, a very attractive rate, until the bonds are paid off.

All our CUSTOMERS do is flip on the light switch. There it is - clean, safe, low-cost electricity provided to them in part by the citizens of Sikeston.

I believe this proposed PILOT is legal, will not cancel contracts and can provide the citizens of Sikeston with a well-deserved profit from their power plant operations. These profits will be used to continue funding for our fully staffed Public Safety Department, to maintain our present services and to accelerate much needed capital improvements.

Please vote YES on the PILOT on Feb. 4.

Philip Boyer, mayor