EDITORIAL: Thanks to Sen. Ogden for BTU bill

April 10--Last year, when The Eagle pressed BTU for the salaries of its top executives, the paper was told again and again that the utility didn't have to release the information because it was of a competitive nature.

Then-City Manager David Watkins tried to get that information as well as other financial records of the utility, and he, too, was denied. The Bryan City Council requested the information, and that request was rejected.

BTU executives and the council-appointed BTU board were adamant that release of the financial information would put the utility at a competitive disadvantage, even though it has a monopoly on providing electric power within its service area.

Never mind that the utility is owned by the city of Bryan and its taxpayers. BTU officials cited the law that deregulated electric power companies in Texas that allowed publicly owned utilities to keep some information private.

Finally, after public outcry, BTU did release the salaries of its top executives to Watkins, the council and to the public.

During the brouhaha, state Sen. Steve Ogden said the information should be made public and he promised to do something about it. Thursday, he kept that promise when he secured passage of Senate Bill 1613, which prohibits public utility companies from withholding non-competitive information such as salaries from the public.

The bill now goes to the state House for approval. We hope state Rep. Fred Brown will push for its passage in that chamber.

Too bad the bill doesn't eliminate the BTU board and return the utility to the direct control of the city manager and the council. The Bryan City Council ought to consider doing just that.

-----

To see more of The Eagle or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.theeagle.com/.

Copyright (c) 2011, The Eagle, Bryan, Texas

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.