Source:
Columbus DispatchWednesday, March 16, 2011 12:12 PM
By Dan Gearino
Ohio's consumer advocate for utility issues would lose more than half of its budget under Gov. John Kasich's spending plan, a cut that the agency says would lead to higher utility bills.
The Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel gets $4.1 per year million in Kasich's proposal, down from the current $8.5 million. The budget pays for about 75 employees, including a team of attorneys that represent consumers before the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, a call center that takes questions and complaints from customers, and a public-outreach office that publicizes ways that customers can reduce their energy bills.
"We know there is a spirit of budget cutting and fiscal reform, but few if any people here expected this kind of a cut," said Marty Berkowitz, a spokesman for the agency. "We really feel it does damage to the citizens and the consumers because we are their advocate."
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http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2011/03/16/consumers-counsel-surprised-by-degree-of-funding-cut.html?sid=101
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