Writer laments vote to form BVU authority

Regarding City Council’s recent vote on the BVU Authority Act, things do not necessarily have to be the way they are. A majority vote by City Council would allow the Virginia General Assembly to change Bristol’s charter to allow public referendum voting. Many municipalities already have this ability.
Some say the three votes for the BVU Authority Act and two votes against it represent the democratic process in action. Well, maybe. There are those who say the public was no match for BVU’s powerful marketing and PR team.
Never before has Bristol faced a decision changing the status of a multi-million dollar asset. Maybe things turned out the way they should have, or maybe they only turned out the way they were planned to.
If BVU were not in such a rush, it could have held a series of meetings so the public could learn about the issue and ask questions. Given the magnitude of the proposed change and the fact that millions of dollars were at stake, one might have thought that BVU would have done so.
But they didn’t, and one is left to ask why. Could it be the desire to bid on the proposed power substation for Abingdon’s business and technology park influenced the timing of the split? Abingdon approved construction of the substation because several industries interested in locating there objected to the lack of back-up power.
But Bristol has its own business and technology park planned behind Sugar Hollow Park, and offering back-up power at that location could help lure businesses to it. Two business parks within 20 miles of each other necessarily cause them to be in competition. Why not focus on Bristol rather than Abingdon?
Consumers want cheaper electricity and adapting Bristol’s power grid would allow many consumers to generate their own electricity using solar panels. But one BVU insider says the return on investment is not great enough for BVU to take such an action.
In the end, BVU only spends money on issues it believes will have good return on investment. Gee, we thought it was “our” municipal utility. Not anymore.

Deborah Suzanne Jones
Bristol, Va.