When Meeker School Supt. Jeff Pruitt returned from Spring Break, he discovered February’s gas bill for the district had arrived.
To his amazement, the bill was for more than $51,000.
Pruitt said even though Oklahoma Natural Gas is the district’s gas supplier, the bill had come from a third party vendor, Symmetry Energy Solutions.
Pruitt said he began calling Symmetry shortly after he returned to his office a week ago Monday, March 22. “I’ve called several times, and finally was able to leave a message,” he noted.
“I’ve tried to contact Symmetry. I contacted the Corporation Commission and they said call the company. Didn’t receive a lot of assistance from the Commission,” he remarked.
But as of early this week, Pruitt’s calls haven’t been returned. He’s had no conversations with anyone, he said, from Symmetry.
The $51,702.78 gas bill was for February. In comparison, the district’s highest bill among the previous three months was for $2,305 and that was for January. In November, it was $1,202 and December’s totaled $1,879, Pruitt said.
Pruitt said he’s contacted three legislators, State Rep. Kevin Wallace, State Sen. Zack Taylor and State Sen. Roger Thompson, “and all three have gotten back and have been very helpful.”
The school superintendent emphasized, “We don’t spend that kind of money. We may encumber $10,000 annually for that third party vendor, but not the amount of that bill. That would be over five years worth of what we encumber.”
Pruitt said he’s holding off paying that bill right now. “I may send them what we paid in January and tell them that is what we can afford to pay at this time.”
He explained payment would come from the district’s building fund. “That’s where our utility bills are paid from. But I don’t have that much money encumbered and I’m not going to call a special meeting of the board to pay a bill like that,” he continued.
Pruitt related, “We have automatic thermostats that are already set. I can see the bill doubling from what we paid in January, but not jumping like that,” he stated.