For parents, some choices are more difficult than others.  One of the most challenging is deciding where to send Junior to school.  

Will the academics be challenging?  Are there fun clubs and diverse sports programs?  Is there enough technology and college preparation?  Is there art and music?

Yesterday, the city's public schools displayed what they offer students throughout their entire education from pre-K through high school graduation.  The first annual Community Showcase, hosted by Mount Dora Middle School, drew local parents interested in learning what programs await their children of all ages, abilities and interests.

The diverse presentations ranged from elementary, middle and high school band performances and art exhibits to science labs, sports, robotics and A.V.I.D. programs.   Mount Dora High School had various clubs and academic programs represented including drama, F.F.A.,  architecture and culinary arts plus impressive R.O.T.C. demonstrations in the gym.

The goal is to make the Community Showcase an annual event with a different school hosting it each year.  

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When it comes to electric bills, what goes up usually doesn't come down.    Not true, in the City Of Mount Dora.  It was announced today that utility bills for customers receiving the city’s electric service will reflect a lower Power Cost Charge (PCC) rate starting on April 1.    The PCC on the customers’ electric bills recovers the actual cost of power that the city purchases from Duke Energy.

The electric bill for a typical residential customer using 1,000 kWh per month will decrease by $5.64 or about 4.9%.  Commercial customers will see a 4.8% to 6.5% decrease in their electric bills depending on their monthly electricity consumption.  

This reflects the PCC decrease from $0.06520 per kWh to $0.05956 per kWh.    The power cost reductions are due primarily to declining natural gas prices caused by supply and demand.  More recently, the unprecedented fall in oil prices attributed to the slowing world economy has further eroded natural gas prices.

The PCC is normally calculated for April 1 and October 1 and applies to the following six month period. The PCC formula has an automatic "true-up" feature that ensures that electric customers only pay for actual power costs. The city does not make a “profit” on the PCC. It is simply a billing mechanism to pass along wholesale power costs to the city's electric customers

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