More places to cut:

Magazine/newspaper/web subscriptions.- I am certain you could save 5,000K a year or more by cutting all the subscriptions to trade journals, websites and newspapers.

Food- Do you now how much money they spend on drinks and food? We're talking thousands of catering dollars, bottled water, cans of coke and coffeee service, Hotel meeting space and catering costs. Have meetings on member city property or at EC headquarters. Bring a bag lunch. Drink tap water.

Do you know before many Board meetings, Board members drive up the night before and stay at Raliegh hotels and go out to dinner and charge it all back to ElectriCities, They do. And they wine and dine. Cut it. No more day before travel or it's on your dime. Sorry. These are tough times.

Printing- Take a look at their Annual Reports. Beautiful. Uneccessary. Do you know every year they spend over 100K for their annual report? All they need to do by law is provide their financials. Cut out the slick, pretty PR until you get costs in line.  For that matter, cut out the brochures, econimic develoment slicks, and fact sheets. They could save 250K a year if they quit hiring outrside consultants, printers and others who develop these publications.

Advertising.-Cut it. Public Power week-Cut it. Economic develpoment ads-Cut it.

Energy Solution Partners-Cut it!

Sponsorships- Do you know ElectriCiuties spends thousands a year sponsoring NC Goverment meetings, economic development conferences and even the Virginia Association of Broadcaster meetings. (And most of the time staff travels to these shows on and expense it.)Cut it!

American Public Power Assocation meetings (APPA)-Do you staff goes to numerous APPA events and conferences through-out the year at places like Colorado, Washington DC, Las Vegas, etc. Cut it!

Lobbying events-Do you know they spend thousands of dollars on a Legislative Appreciation recpetion in Raleigh and a Congrssional reception in DC. THOUSANDS. Cut it.

Professional Memberships-Do you know they have memberships in numerous professional organizations that require annual dues and fees? Many are very expensive. And this doesn't include Chamber of Commerce annual dues, Electric Trade Association annual dues, etc. etc. Cut it.

Etc, etc. There are golf outings, numerous consultants, gym equipment, big screen TV's in meeting rooms. It goes on and on. Ken Raber says Bare bones. HAH! There's so much waste. The cities are feeling the pain. Time for ElectriCities to feel the pain too.

Cut and Cut and Cut.