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Community activist group asking BPU board members to vote against budget

A grassroots community activist group plans to pack the Board of Public Utilities’ budget review meeting Monday morning.

The residents will be asking BPU members to vote no on the BPU budget, according to Louise Lynch, one of the leaders of the group.

The special BPU budget review workshop meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. Monday and may continue all day at the BPU administrative offices, 540 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.

The grassroots utility equity group is calling for the BPU to stop utility disconnections, to separate the BPU charges from the Unified Government trash , PILOT, and other service charges on the bills, and several other issues. It held a meeting last week to organize its efforts. (See https://wyandotteonline.com/grassroots-group-calls-for-bpu-changes-on-disconnections-other-issues/)

Close to 100 persons attended last week’s meeting online and in person at the South Branch Library, Lynch said. The group now is known by the name Community Conscience Action Network.

Diversity, equity and access to utilities for everyone in Wyandotte County is the goal of the group, Lynch said.

Ty Gorman, a community activist also working with this group, who also works with the Sierra Club, stated at last week’s meeting that there is a need to close the Nearman coal-burning plant in Kansas City, Kansas. Also he said the BPU and Unified Government need to participate more in the federal infrastructure grant programs available that would allow federal dollars to lower costs here.

The BPU board is not scheduled to vote on the budget at the Dec. 5 meeting, according to the agenda. That vote is scheduled at the Dec. 21 meeting. The Monday, Dec. 5, meeting will review various BPU departments’ budgets.

The public may access the Dec. 5 meeting through the telephone to listen, and if they have access to the internet, they can click on a Zoom meeting to observe the meeting.

To join the Zoom meeting, persons may click on https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84523139724.

To join by telephone, call toll-free 1-888-475-4499.
The meeting ID number is 845 2313 9724.

For BPU meeting information, visit https://www.bpu.com/About/MediaNewsReleases/BPUBoardtoReview2023ProposedBudget.asp

To see an earlier story about the grassroots group’s meeting, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/grassroots-group-calls-for-bpu-changes-on-disconnections-other-issues/

The meeting date for the vote has been updated to Dec. 21.

Cold front to pass through area Tuesday

Today’s high of 50 reflects a brief warm trend until another cold front passes through the area Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service forecast.

Temperatures were 37 degrees at 7 a.m. Monday with a wind chill of 33, the weather service said.

A slight 10 percent chance for light showers is possible Tuesday between 9 a.m. and noon, the weather service said.

On Wednesday night, there is a 60 percent chance of rain, mainly after midnight, and Thursday has an 80 percent chance of rain, according to the weather service. Temperatures may remain above freezing Wednesday night.

Today, it will be partly sunny, with a high near 50 and a south wind of 5 to 7 mph becoming north northwest in the afternoon, the weather service said.

Tonight, it will be mostly cloudy, with a low of 31, and a northeast wind of 6 to 8 mph, according to the weather service.

Tuesday, there is a slight 10 percent chance of rain between 9 a.m. and noon, with a high near 38 and a north northeast wind of 5 to 7 mph, the weather service said.

Tuesday night, it will be mostly cloudy, with a low of 31 and a light north wind, according to the weather service.

Wednesday, it will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 46 and a calm wind becoming northeast 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon, the weather service said.

Wednesday night, there is a 60 percent chance of rain, mainly after midnight, according to the weather service. The low will be around 38 with new precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible

Tuesday night, it will be mostly cloudy, with a low of 31 and a light north wind, according to the weather service.

Wednesday, it will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 46 and a calm wind becoming northeast 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon, the weather service said.

Wednesday night, there is a 60 percent chance of rain, mainly after midnight, with a low of 38, accoding to the weather service. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain is possible.

Thursday, there is an 80 percent chance of rain, with a high near 45, the weather service said.

Thursday night, there is a 40 percent chance of rain before midnight, with a low of 35, according to the weather service.

Friday, it will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 43, the weather service said.

Friday night, it will be mostly cloudy, with a low of 34, according to the weather service.

Saturday, it will be partly sunny, with a high near 47, the weather service said.

Saturday night, there is a 30 percent chance of rain, with a low of 33, according to the weather service.

Sunday, it will be partly sunny, with a high near 45, the weather service said.