Residents in one Sumter County city say a grasp of power is dividing the city of Bushnell when it comes to power – in the form of electricity.
The city is considering buying coverage area of 527 customers from SECO, which is Sumter County’s electric cooperative.
It was standing room only Monday night at Bushnell City Hall as residents and business owners had their say when it comes to their electric bills.
The buyout would follow the expiration of a franchise agreement with the company that was executed 33 years ago. The cost of the buyout and the changes that go with it have yet to be determined.
“Our contractual right is to buy them out or buy their infrastructure out within the city limits,” said Bushnell City Manager Bruce Hickle.
Residents and employees of SECO met at the company’s headquarters Monday afternoon, wearing t-shirts saying, “stop the Bushnell Power Grab.”
“Our interest is more on protecting the interest of those members than it is than trying to protect our corporate entity,” said SECO CEO Jim Duncan.
Monday night, many residents and business owners at city hall said they attended the meeting just to hear from both sides. Their minds had not been made up on where they stand on the issue.
Currently, the city has about 1,200 customers. The possible buyout would include five times the area the city now services. Residents said government electricity averages about $20 more per month than SECO, which is a change they just can’t afford.
“I just don’t want my electric bill to go up. That’s the most important thing. We’re paying too much already,” said Brenda Frazier, who has lived in Bushnell for more than 20 years.
Hinkle said the city’s next step is a feasibility study to find out if the buyout is even possible and how much it could cost. The results of the study could come back as soon as July.