In the "budget savings" listed at last night at the Evansville School Board, $60,000 was listed as a budget "saving" from utility or energy costs. The Observer is in consult with proper certified meterological specialists and accounting types as to whether this "saving" is simply a "variation" from previous estimates which were off simply because last year was the warmest winter in 40+ years.
Supr. Carvin did note in passing that the lower energy costs resulted in a lower than expected dip into the savings account. This lower than expected "dip" is not a saving in any way.
Therefore, it is good to pause now that $160,000 has been identified, but it would be better to get a clarification as to whether in fact the budget amount listed for the actual consumption in the coming school year is reasonable given the weather pattens over the past 10 years. Also, it must be considered that the option lock as to BTU therms is only "locked" til January when the option renews. There is a risk there that must be budgeted for.
Mr. Pierick noted that with the cuts that were agreed on, the budget is very tight until further cuts are identified and agreed upon. The last thing the board or the community needs is an unforceen surprise caused by an underestimate of energy expenses. Remember that financial specialists are paid to be on target and not for moving "savings" from one accrual to another. That is just "gaming" the budget process. Big difference.
The Evansville Observer Archive: The unofficial history of Evansville, Wisconsin from 2005-2013: Thousands of Video and Audio and Articles; Free: To Search scroll to the Search this Blog line and enter name of person, topic, or issue. Then scroll up to see all articles. Or use Google Search by topic. Enjoy.
Wxman consult---
ReplyDeleteIcan't find any official statements for Wisconsin from the NWS on it. I can tell you that in terms of heating degree days (HDDs), we were 9.5% below normal (less is warmer) for December - February (meteorological winter). If therms are directly proportional to HDDs, and therms are directly proportional to cost, then the school's cost for heat was about 10% below normal (1971-2000 winters). But someone else will have to verify that.
The numbers for Madison look like this:
December normal (1971-2000) 1298
December 2005 1391
January normal 1490
January 2006 1029
February normal 1203
February 2006 1192
Only the last week of December and the month of January were significantly above normal. The first three weeks of December were quite cold for that time of year. Unlike most recent years, February was reasonably chilly. See http://www.crh.noaa.gov/mkx/climate/tempgraph.php
wxman