David's Blog

The management and operation of the City of Duluth's public utilities (water, natural gas, and sanitary sewer) will soon change. If you own property in Duluth, you will feel the financial impact of this change. Yet, few Duluthians appear to be paying attention to this issue. Fortunately, there is one last opportunity to do so and to have your voice heard.

The change will occur this evening when the Duluth City Council is expected to approve an ordinance creating a Duluth Public Utilities Commission. The Commission will be authorized to establish the various utility rates. The majority of city councilors have found that the management and operation of the City's water, natural gas, and sanitary sewer has become more complex. They believe the City would benefit from the focused attention on utilities that can be provided by the Commission. I agree.

Before a proposed ordinance can be voted on by the Council, it must be publicly read at two city council meetings. It is within these two meetings that community members are afforded an opportunity to provide public comment in response to the proposed ordinance. The first reading of this proposed ordinance occurred two weeks ago at the March 29th city council meeting. I attended the council meeting and was the one community member who gave testimony relative to the potential of a Public Utilities Commission. I shared the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce's appeal to have the establishment of public utility rates be the result of a transparent, disciplined, and responsible process that seeks to keep the utility rates at their lowest possible cost to consumers.

The City's utility rates have increased exponentially in recent years. They have done so without rate payers being assured the increases were the result of a transparent, disciplined, and responsible process that strove to keep the rates as low as possible. The Chamber will applaud any initiative that brings additional structure and accountability to the rate setting process. We also will appreciate being assured that subsequent rate increases will be reinvested in utilities infrastructure improvements. It appears the establishment of a Public Utilities Commission is a step in the right direction.

Our final opportunity to have our voice heard on this issue is at the city council meeting this evening (Monday, April 12) at 7:00 p.m. in the Third Floor Council Chambers of City Hall. Council meetings are broadcast live on radio on KUMD 103.3 FM and on television on Public Access Community Television. You can obtain a copy of the meeting agenda and the ordinance by accessing the City of Duluth's website at www.duluthmn.gov.

Home and building owners will be directly impacted by how well the City's public utilities are managed. The cost of these utilities will be, in part, determined by the Commission. The Chamber will continue to closely evaluate and monitor this initiative. I encourage you to do the same.

I welcome your feedback on this issue and on any issue facing you as a member of our Chamber. I can be reached at dross@duluthchamber.com or 740-3751.

In support,

David Ross

Our Shining City on the Hill is shining more brightly these days. It does so by design and not by chance. This illumination is made possible, in part, because of two exceptionally strong and courageous leaders. These leaders, Superintendent Keith Dixon and Mayor Don Ness, bring a quiet confidence and resolve to their leadership roles. It is an honor to stand beside these men of character and stand with them as they accept the leadership challenge of addressing problems that plagued our beloved community for decades.

The problems were bequeathed to them by their predecessors and by our citizenry, who were unable to properly address the concerns.

One of these chronic, formidable problems was the financial and structural condition of our public school system. The number of students enrolled in our Duluth Public School District has steadily declining since 1960. While the District made limited changes in response to the decline, its leadership was unable to implement the comprehensive and decisive actions necessary to bring our school system into alignment with the decreased enrollment. That is, until Keith Dixon took on this challenge.

Keith Dixon is exactly what our school district needed. He is a resilient, intelligent and tough minded optimist who believes in providing our children the best possible centers of learning. He has faced adversity and he has overcome the odds all his life. Those who continue to fuel opposition to the Long Range Facilities Plan are hoping to wear down Keith Dixon. They obviously don't know Keith Dixon. If they did, they would realize they will not discourage this person of conviction and courage. When the dust settles at the school building and remodeling sites, our community will increasingly come to realize the benefits derived from Keith Dixon's leadership.

Another protracted and largely unaddressed community problem was the City of Duluth's financial struggles caused by the compounding city employee retiree healthcare liability. It was decades in the making. Yet, it was Mayor Don Ness who took on the formidable task of addressing this concern in a comprehensive and decisive manner. He was publicly and aggressively lambasted by some who were benefiting from the unsustainable arrangement. Mayor Ness, like Superintendent Dixon, took on the problem despite the controversy generated by his decisiveness.

In his first State of the City Address, Mayor Ness quoted President John Kennedy, who said, "We do not take on our challenges because they are easy - we do so because they are hard." Mayor Ness has courageously taken on the hard challenges he has faced during the three years he has led our city.

Keith Dixon and Don Ness share some admirable traits: they lead with a quiet strength, they are humble and, they remain calm under inordinate pressure. I have a quote that I often reflect on when I am in need of encouragement. It reads, "Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying 'I will try again tomorrow'." The quote reminds me of how well Superintendent Dixon and Mayor Ness possess the energy and the resolve to press on with the work before them.


In support,

David Ross