They are right. Moving utilities (or anything for that matter) to the private sector (what Abbott actually wants to do) has always resulted in higher costs for the consumer.
This is Abbott sucking off moneyed interests in exchange for some kind of kickback. Just listen to this claptrap:
“City-owned utility cartels should stop using ratepayers as a piggy bank to fund unnecessary social programs,” Abbott campaign press secretary Eduardo Leal wrote in a statement.
Are you scared yet‽ They’re cartels! And they fund unnecessary social programs.
Meanwhile, these “cartels” are actually nonprofits:
San Antonio and Austin have the state’s two largest city-owned electric utilities, which say they offer among the cheapest electricity rates in the state because they operate as nonprofit electric companies that send every dollar they earn back to their communities, city and utility officials said. That money funds city services like libraries, parks and first responder operations, and the governor’s proposal would actually drive up electric rates for customers and be costly to enact, they said.
Oh the horror! Funding these “unnecessary” social programs like libraries, parks, and first responder ops!
Be sure to tell your friends what liar Abbott is.
I agree that it won’t lower electric costs, but electric bill payments shouldn’t be used as the city’s general fund. Either lower the electric bill payment, or use the money to fund electrical infrastructure improvements. Isn’t this the same city that said they didn’t have the money to bury electric lines?
