Chairman's Column

Technology Replaces Travel: KCC to hold public hearings at five locations simultaneously

In the early territorial days, the county seats in Kansas were located with the idea that one could ride a horse to the county courthouse and return home in one day. Then, as now, our institutions and our processes were and are limited by available technology. Today the pace of technological development strains the imagination. One day, every utility will have the capability of accessing each customer's usage at any point in the day. As regulators we will be expected to use technology to improve performance and reduce costs.

As chairman of the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC), one of my goals has been to educate the public on issues affecting them. As cases come before the Commission, the Commissioners and KCC staff travel to affected communities to answer questions and take public comments. As the state budget has tightened, the KCC has looked for ways to save both taxpayers and ratepayers money. But rather than replace our state vehicle with a horse and wagon, we have decided to use modern technology to our advantage.

On September 16th, the KCC will hold a public hearing to consider a rate increase for customers of Mid-Kansas Electric Company (MKEC).* Rather than travel to multiple locations, or ask customers to travel to one location that may be miles away from their home, the KCC will use video conferencing technology to connect five meeting sites. The three member Commission and KCC staff will be at the Southwest Medical Center in Liberal and will connect to MKEC customers at: Lane County Courthouse; Clifton/Clyde High School; Dodge City Public Library, and Ellsworth High School.

I'm excited to try out this new technology and I'm confident that MKEC customers will find it to be a valuable experience. By eliminating the need to travel long distances, I'm also hoping this new process will increase participation and save both time and money for all MKEC customers and the Kansas Corporation Commission.

*Only former Aquila customers who are now served by Lane-Scott Electric Cooperative, Southern Pioneer Electric Company, Prairie Land Electric Cooperative, Victory Electric Cooperative Association, or Western Cooperative Electric Association would be affected by a rate increase.

Chairman Thomas E. Wright
Wednesday, September 9, 2009